In 1962, Picelj initiated a series of his self-published “Edition a” art booklets, having released a total of seven publications up until 1964. Each issue of “Edition a” featured the work of one artist —mostly of a colleague whose work he admired. On top of that, Picelj designed, edited, and printed these all by himself. The visually most striking part of these 16×16 cm booklets was their covers, which featured the lowercase letter “a”, silk-screened in a different, vibrant color for each of these issues. The letter itself appears to be a modified version of Helvetica, a tremendously popular typeface during that period.
Concurrently, most European designers of that time sought clarity and visual unity, making modernism a powerful force in global graphic design, with its influence being palpable even today. Propelled by the work of Swiss masters—like Josef Müller-Brockmann, Armin Hofmann, and Emil Ruder—and the widespread use of the Helvetica typeface, modernism swiftly conquered the world, later even bearing the name International Style. The resulting designs were eclectic, vibrant, and infused with modernist energy. In large part thanks to Picelj, who “brought Helvetica to Croatia”, this style was cherished locally as well, putting Zagreb and Croatia on the International Style map.