After one year of academic training at the Kunstgewerbeschule Zürich, she decided to pursue a four-year apprenticeship instead. Seeking a more challenging environment, she connected with designer Sigi Odermatt, known for his daring approach and defiance of conventional industry standards. Odermatt invited her to apprentice in his studio, and over a decade of collaboration, Tissi became his partner. Their studio, subsequently named “Odermatt & Tissi“ (O&T), embraced a distinctive model: rather than merging styles, they each maintained their individuality, exchanging feedback rather than co-producing designs. Their work primarily focused on print and type design for cultural institutions and Publishers.

Tissi’s career took her around the world—often traveling solo—to over 70 countries for lectures and workshops, teaching at institutions such as Yale University and the Rhode Island School of Design. Her posters have enjoyed international acclaim, with exhibitions spanning Tokyo, Essen, New York, and Warsaw.

Her design style evolved significantly over the years, moving from the strict, grid-based orderliness of Modernist Swiss design to a more personalized aesthetic, marked by bright colors, unique proportions, and bold, experimental layouts. Though her work often diverged from the traditional “Swiss style” due to its abstract qualities, Tissi’s designs remained unmistakably Swiss creating a nuanced balance of typographic and playful qualities. (hs)