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| Jan Tschichold |
Jan Tschichold was a German typographic advisor,
author and typeface designer that was a very important figure in the development
of typography. Tschichold was interested
in calligraphy at an early age; he studied at the Leipzig Academy, and
eventually worked as a traditional calligrapher with Insel Verlag. After
attending a Bauhaus exhibition, he was impressed by the new concepts of the Bauhaus
and the Russian constructivists and started implementing them in his work
becoming a pioneer of the new typography – die
neue Typographie.
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| Elementare Typographie |
Tschichold demonstrated and explained asymmetrical
typography to designers, printers and typesetters by writing a twenty four page insert named ‘Elementare typographie’in a magazine. Printed in red and black –
the colours of the constructivists, it featured an article explaining the avant-garde
approach to design. German printing at that time still made use of symmetrical layouts
and medieval blackletter. Tschichold on the other hand used a functional and
economical approach, sans serif typography as well as asymmetrical layouts. He condemned
typefaces which were not sans serif and brought forward a fundamental concept –
functionality was to be the most important aspect of the New Typography. Unnecessary decoration and symmetrical compositions
were to be discarded. He stated “Asymmetry is the rhythmic expression of
functional design.” Furthermore, he made use of angles and diagonals
along with Bauhaus typography in order to produce a unique signature look.
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The Pelican History of Art cover
by Tshichold
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Tschichold created a brochure for the book which
advocates this new radical typography. It however was not as functional since the
modern movement looked for spirituality and beauty in the materials used. Dynamic
forces should become visible in every design made for typography ought to be in
motion and not stationary. Therefore, he made use of uneven lines of different lengths
along with headlines in the left margin. White space was used as part of the
design. Photography was favoured over illustrations due to its objectivity and accuracy.
In 1933 the Nazis arrested Tschichold and his wife as he was accused of “Cultural
Bolshevik” and using “un-German” typography.
After he was released, he left to Switzerland. He started rejecting the
new typography in favour of Roman, Egyptian as well as script styles. In his
opinion, graphic designers should use a humanistic approach that reflects the
accomplishments and understanding of old master typographers.
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'The tragedy of King
Lear' cover 1949
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Jan Tschichold has also redesigned most of the
penguin books using his new approach of design. His designs had a realistic
look that worked very well with the content of the books. In addition they were
also very balanced, consistent and legible. One of the many books he designed
was Shakespeare’s ‘The tragedy of king Lear'.As previously mentioned, this composition is
very symmetrical and conventional, it is well balanced as well as very legible.
It is also enclosed within a solid black frame and it is stylized in design. This style contrasts greatly the new typography he used to used when he was still in Germany.
References:
Philip B. Meggs, 2011. Meggs' History of Graphic Design. 5 Edition. Wiley.
Steven Heller, 2012. 100 Ideas that Changed Graphic Design. 3.3.2012 Edition. Laurence King Publishing.
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