FAQ: BÜRO DISCOUNT FROM A TO Z AND BACK

A like Art:
At Büro Discount a new sales exhibition is presented every two months. These exhibitions are providing a platform for projects in graphic and product design. Ideally the exhibits and the items on sale will lead to a symbiosis on a theme.

B like Books:
In our shop you’ll find a select range of graphic books, specialized magazines and fanzines. We try our best to always have the most important classics and interesting new publications in stock. There’s also a selection of books on photography, art and advertising. If there’s any book you are looking for that is not in stock, we’ll gladly order it for you. Collectors will be pleased to hear that we also often have signed or limited editions for sale.

C like Car:
Of course we’d be delighted if you all turned up by the carload. But we’d still recommend you use public transport. The city of Zurich is, at least in Switzerland, famous if not notorious for its labyrinthine traffic-systems. Should you want to come by car despite this, there is, usually, a parking space in front of the shop for our customers. For all the information on how to find us go to our location map.

D like Discount:
The name Büro Discount is of course derived from our mother-business Büro Destruct. The difference is that Büro Destruct sells graphic services and Büro Discount sells graphic products. Despite the fact that we do have a few pencils, pens and even some paper for sale, we are no office-supplies store. So you’re in the wrong place for staples, paper clips and other such office paraphernalia!

E like Electronic music:
We love electronic music and that’s why, in our shop, you can discover new and unknown labels or purchase demo-CDs by regionally renowned DJs. We’re not a CD-shop though, and our selection is therefore limited (but classy).

F like Film:
Büro Destruct, among other things, also does party-visuals and 3-D animations. Some of them are already available at Büro Discount on VHS- and DVD-samplers. Our range of short- experimental- and underground-films will be greatly expanded in the near future.

G like Graphics:
graphics is our central field of expertise. Our original graphic art, signed prints, sketches, illustrations and limited edition graphics editions will be of great interest to museums and private collectors. We’ll be glad to help and advise! We’d be delighted to meet you, we’ll even arrange for a talk outside our normal opening hours; without obligations of course.

H like Hawker:
Are you a wholesaler and would like to re-sell some of our products? Then please get in touch with us and find out about our terms and conditions! Besides, we might be interested in some of the products you sell!?

I like Inflatables:
We’ve recently started producing a series of exclusive inflatable RGBs and Smellys. These figures are two popular characters from Büro Destruct. Speaking of inflatables: we also have a frequently updated range of other fun inflatables available. Order your bathing-fun pals now!

J like Japan:
If you’re on the look-out for out-of-the-ordinary presents you should really pop into our shop soon. We stock a wide range of wild and wacky products and toys - especially items from Japan, a well-spring of the wild and wonderful – so there are lots of fun things which make great gifts of the extra-ordinary kind.

K like Kelpie:
Are you a designer yourself, or do you ‘just’ produce strange objects or things that you would like to see being sold in our shop? (And no, it doesn’t have to have anything to do with Scottish spirit-water horses) If the answer is yes, get in touch with us! Chances are we’ll think the same and would like to sell your stuff or take it on commission. Or have got some great idea but are having trouble realizing it? Just contact us; maybe we have the solution to your problem?

L like Los Logos:
‚Los Logos’ is an internet-project by Büro Destruct. At www.loslogos.org you can upload homely, strange and unique logos from all over the world and in that way save them from extinction. But ‚Los Logos’ is also the title of a valued and reputed book from the catalogue of Gestalten Verlag Berlin, which was developed in cooperation with Büro Destruct. It has already become a standard work for all who are interested in the development and design of modern logos (and we of course stock this comfortable book at all times).

M like Mother:
In 1992 Hgb Fideljus founded an agency for artists by the name of Destruct Agentur in Bern/Switzerland. 1994 through a partnership with Lopetz, the Destruct Agentur was renamed Büro Destruct and has since been active in the area of graphic design. The most important areas of Büro Destruct’s activities are visualisations of corporate identities, logos, posters, flyers, books, record and CD covers. One of many specialities of the graphic-design-collective is the development of new fonts. Since 1999 several books by or in cooperation with Büro Destruct have been published by the renowned publisher Gestalten Verlag Berlin. In 2002 Büro Destruct founded the subsidiary company Büro Discount in Zurich /Switzerland.

N like Narita Inspected:
„Narita Inspected“ is a book on present-day graphic design from Japan. This chameleonic and eternally surprising book was designed by Lopetz/BD. It was published in 2001 by Gestalten Verlag Berlin and can be seen and purchased at Büro Discount at any time. There’s also a t-shirt available and who knows, maybe there will soon be hats, pens, whiskey-glasses and balloons with the Narita-logo? No, no, don’t worry, we’re just pulling your leg (but the t-shirt really is real)!

O like Onlineshop:
You can shop for our products from the comfort of your own home at our online store.

P like Posters:
At Büro Discount you can find an excellent range of graphic art posters from internationally renowned designers. And, obviously, we also have an extensive archive of BD-posters. Collectors might be interested to hear that we also have a wide range of limited and signed poster-editions, sketches and original artwork for sale.

Q like Q-Bert:
Although we love playing at Büro Discount in Zurich as much as at Büro Destruct in Bern, we leave this kind of business to others (with gritted teeth). Sadly, computer games such as Q-Bert, Pac Man or Tomb Raider are not being sold at Büro Discount. But did you know that there’s a team in the popular internet game Hattrick that’s called BD-Boys United?

R like Rainbow:
The rainbow is not just the insignia of the gay community; it’s also the emblem of an art-project by BD-graphic-artist MB. That’s why you can buy a nice piece of rainbow from us. And if that’s not enough nature for you, there’s always the Idaplatz with his street-side cafés to relax in after your shopping. And while on the subject of rainbows: It goes without saying that we welcome every customer – whatever colour, creed or sexual preference.

S like Script:
A speciality of Büro Destruct is the development of new fonts. All BD-fonts can be downloaded from www.typdifferent.com. If you don’t have a credit card, some of the fonts are also available on CD-rom from Büro Discount.

T like T-shirts:
Büro Discount stocks a special range of cool and extravagant t-shirts. Besides shirts with prints by famous graphic designers, you can always find interesting pieces by young and as-yet little known fashion labels.

U like Uglydolls:
Uglydolls is a label that produces rather crazy plush-dolls. These dolls are not only a fun alternative to the usual children’s cuddly toys such as teddy-bears, they’re also faithful partners for the lonely nights of city and countryside singles and couples who are in a long-distance relationship (which is more or like how Uglydolls came to be). Besides these dolls, there are many others from labels and artists such as FriendsWithYou, Mori Chack or Takashi Murakami, to mention just a few.

V like Vinyl-figurines:
Another of the specialities of Büro Discount is designer-toys and action figures in vinyl. Here in Europe these fantastic creatures which are worlds removed from the Walt Disney style are often called “PC-guardians” as they’re specially suited to decorate computers. Many of these often rare collector’s pieces by designers such as Michael Lau, Junko Mizuno or Eric So can be found at our shop. A bit of luck and a quick decision is of course needed for a successful bargain-hunt of the more rare pieces!

W like Weltschmerz:
Weltschmerz isn’t just a scary feeling; Weltschmertz is also the name of an anonymous group of artists from Switzerland. According to themselves, Weltschmertz is the best artist- group in the world. Whatever the case may be, their concept and media-art projects are as humorous as they are witty and maybe that’s why Büro Destruct devoted a whole double-page to Weltschmertz in their first book. The Weltschmertz-group, as are a handful of other artists, is part of the regular exhibition program of Büro Discount.

X like X-amount and manner of things:
You’ll probably have noticed by now that Büro Discount is neither a gallery, nor an “arty-farty white-cube”. Büro Discount is also no boutique, no record shop, no video-rental shop and most definitely not a kiosk or flea-market. But still, Büro Discount is a little of all those things. If you insist on assigning a label to file us under, use this: A concept-store for loving, lovely amours and curiosities from the wonderland of beautiful living (La dolce vita!). The Japanese lap-top bag stands peacefully side by side with the nut-cracker by a Swiss graphic designer. Mainstream right next to underground-culture!

Y like Young Boys:
That we’re a playful lot has already been mentioned, but we’ve forgotten one thing: Football!! Büro Destruct Bern and Büro Discount Zurich are passionate fans of the Swiss football-club BSC Young Boys Bern and of ball-sport (Young Boys – Big Balls) in general. Whenever there’s a European or World-Championship on the horizon, the BD is in there with alternative fan-gear and the Büro-Discount-Online-shop has even got a special department devoted entirely to those items. One thing’s certain: The ball is round and so’s the earth. Hopp YB!

Z like Zurich:
The home-base of Büro Destruct is, and will always remain, the capital city of Switzerland: Bern (Bern Capital). We love our small and sometimes rather sleepy hometown (Small City – Big Design). Bern allows you to work in peace, but be as busy and productive as a bee (Small City – No Rush Hour). Still, Büro Discount is located in the city of Zurich. Not in the centre, and not in any of the trendy districts. It is located in the picturesque and charming Kreis 3 (third district) which reminds us of our home the Berner Matte in many ways. The motorway towards Bern isn’t far away either and it’s only a short way to the airport of Zurich in Kloten, which is where our many friends from abroad tend to arrive. We are looking for love without borders, limitless love as 2Raumwohnung say it so well: «Liebe ohne Grenzen, grenzenlose Liebe»! Are you too?