Jan Tschichold

"Probably the most important work on typography and graphic design in the twentieth century."--Carl Zahn, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

An original account of the life and work of legendary designer Jan Tschichold and his role in the movement in Weimar Germany to create modern graphic design Richly illustrated with images from Jan Tschichold's little-known private collection of design ephemera, this important book explores a legendary figure in the history of modern graphic design through the artists, ideas, and texts from the Bauhaus that most influenced him. Tschichold (1902-1974), a prolific designer, writer, and theorist, stood at the forefront of a revolution in visual culture that made printed material more elemental and dynamic. His designs were applied to everyday graphics, from billboard advertisements and business cards to book jackets and invoices. This handsome volume offers a new understanding of Tschichold's work, and of the underlying theories of the artistic movement he helped to form, by analyzing his collections: illustrations, advertisements, magazines, and books by well-known figures, such as Kurt Schwitters, El Lissitzky, Aleksandr Rodchenko, and László Moholy-Nagy, and lesser-known artist-designers, including Willi Baumeister, Max Burchartz, Walter Dexel, and Piet Zwart. This book also charts the development of the New Typography, a broad-based movement across Central Europe that included "The Ring," a group formed by Schwitters in 1927. Tschichold played a crucial role in defining this movement, documenting the theory and practice in his most influential book, The New Typography (1928), still regarded as a seminal text of graphic design. Published in association with the Bard Graduate Center Exhibition Schedule: Bard Graduate Center, New York (02/15/19-07/07/19)

Jan Tschichold: A Life in Typography offers a concise biography of this complex figure, accompanied by numerous annotated illustrations of his work. An excellent introduction for those unfamiliar with Tschichold's influential style, it also offers the experienced designer an outstanding collection of his wide-ranging designs.

Shortly after the end of the Second World War, Penguin Books made the bold decision to completely redesign its publications. Examining how Jan Tschichold took on the Herculean task of creating a uniform design, this title surveys the typographic revolution that Tschichold masterminded at Penguin.

Jan Tschichold (1902-1974) was one of the most outstanding and influential graphic artists and typographers of the twentieth century. Throughout his life he stood in the service of print and writing, first as a talented young calligrapher and poster designer, and later as a self-critical typographer. In his posters, he expresses the avant-garde ideas of the Neue Typografie, or New Typography, which were strongly influenced by the Bauhaus. Jan Tschichold is the first book length examination of Tschichold's posters. In addition to the seventy posters he designed himself, the book contains his own collection of posters, with works by Hans Arp, El Lissitzky, L szl Moholy-Nagy, Oskar Schlemmer, and others.

A well-illustrated and detailed examination of this European typographer's work.