Schmid received his professional training in the studio of Fritz Bühler in Basel, and was then Bühler’s closest collaborator for seven years. In 1947, he became art director at J. R. Geigy AG, Basel. He helped René Rudin to build up the graphic studio and set up the famous ‘Geigy Propaganda’ department, which produced modern advertising art. With the aid of Armin Hofmann he engaged over 30 talented students from the Basel Kunstgewerbe schule to work with him at Geigy. This influence was carried on in their later careers. Schmid left Geigy in 1970 at the time of the merger of Ciba and Geigy. From 1964–86 Schmid taught graphic design at the Kunstgewerbeschule. As a freelance graphic designer he specialized in posters, corporate identity, packaging and book design. His studies and work led him to Italy, the US, Mexico and Japan. He was a family man (two kids), a lifelong passionate piano and organ player and was strongly interested in the arts, culture and politics.