The Book Design Renaissance Part 1


William Morris inspired a global upgrading of book design and typography.

Netherlands

Sjoerd H. De Roos and Jan van Krimpen led the traditional vanguard in the Netherlands.  They were followed by J.F. van Royen, Charles Nypels and A.A.M. Stols, each bringing something new to the table of book design. All of these designers wanted to foster a renaissance in typography and, just like Morris and Ruskin, didn’t consider the Industrial Revolution a blessing; rather a necessary evil.

They sought to revive the printing arts through a return to traditional standards. They’re guidelines were as follow:
  • Symmetrical Layout
  • Tranquil harmony and balance
  • Careful margin proportions
  • Proper letter and word spacing
  • Single traditional typefaces keeping the sizes as limited as possible
  • Skillful letterpress printing

And the all believed that a typographer should serve the text first.

De Roos trained in lithography between the years of 1895 and 1898 before attending a general art course in Amsterdam. He was hired as an assistant draftsman at an interior-decorating firm, called Het Binnehuis, in1900. Whilst working there he became aware of the low quality of contemporary Dutch typography, which led to the reviving of book design to become his passion in life.

After leaving Het Binnehuis in 1903 he was asked to design a book called Kunst en Maatskappij (Art and Society.) His top priority for the design of this book was legibility. This led him to use a new typeface designed by Eugène Grasset. This was his first and only book he designed in an art nouveau style but, just like Mackmurdo and Walter Crane, it was too early for this style to blossom just yet. This book was unique nonetheless due to its simplicity. The Type Foundry Amsterdam admired this book design and hired De Roos as an artistic assistant. He stayed employed there until 1941.

De Roos was driven by his philosophy that a “typeface is the foundation of sound book design. It should ideally be practical, beautiful and legible.” In 1912 the Type Fondry Amsterdam issued De Roos's typeface called Hollandsche Medieval. It was a 15th century Venetian inspired text face that appeared in 10 sizes. It was the first typeface to originate form the Netherlands for over a century. Eight more typefaces followed shortly after. One of De Roos’s most exceptional designs was Hand and Soul for De Heuvelpers in 1929. De Roos designed the layout, the typeface called Meidoorn and the initial letters.

S.H. De Roos, pages from Hand and Soul by Dante Gabriel Rossetti,
published by De Heuvelspers (The Hill Press), 1920.



Jan van Krimpen attended the Royal Academy of Fine Art and soon became a preeminent book designer of his generation in the Netherlands.  In 1923 he designed his first typeface called Cut. His design for Het Zatte Hart (The Drunken Hart), by Karel de Woestijne, in 1926, showcased his deft drawing and initial letters. This was also the only book in the Palladium series to be set in his own font – Lutetia.
Van Krimpen believed that “no typography existed other than that of a book”, hence all of his typefaces were designed for solely this purpose.  He believed that the reader should never be aware of typography; that a designer’s one purpose is to make reading as pleasurable as possible and never come between the reader and the text. Fortunately he broke away from his own rules from time to time. Due to this each of his books are unique as each one is slightly different that the previous. Van Krimpen opposed anyone who, in his opinion, was harmful to book typography. These philosophies drove van Krimpen till the day of his death in 1958.

Jan van Krimpen, pages form Het Zatte Hart (The Drunken Heart), by
Karel van de Woestijne, Paladium no. 25, 1926.


Charles Nypels was hired as De Roos’s apprentice at TFA in 1914. His family firm, Leiter-Nypels, officially hired him in 1917, where he finally became partner in 1920. His title pages, use of color and initial letters led to him bringing a fresh approach to book design. His 1927 design for Constantijn Huygens’s Het Voorhout ende ‘t kostelijke mal (The Voorhout and the Delightful Comedy) was the finest example of his earlier work. The contribution of De Roos’s red and blue initial letters turn many of the pages into scintillating typographic symphonies of color.

Between the years of 1929 and 1931, Don Quichotte was published in four sections. This publication showcased Nypels at his most elegant. Once again De Roos’s initials added the perfect finishing touch. The books turned out to be far too costly though, which resulted in Nypels having to leave the firm. Nypels became a freelance designer for several printing firms.

Charles Nypels, pages from Het Voorhout ende’t Kostelijke mal, by Constatine Huygens,
typeface Gothuis initially designed by De Roos, 1927.


Although A.A.M. Stols studied law and even practiced it for a while, he joined his family's publishing business, Boosten & Stols, along with his younger brother, in 1921. Stols’s doctrine, and breath of fresh air he brought to the industry of book design, was maximum legibility and simplicity, constrained classical typography and craftsmanship.

A.A.M Stols, pages form Nieuwe Loten (New Cuttins) by Mary Cremers, 3rd book in the Trajectum ad Mosam series, 1923.


Jean-Francios van Royen was a book designer and private publisher. He made his principal contribution to the industry as the secretary of the Dutch PTT (Post, Telephone and Telegraph.) In 1912 he joined a private press at The Hague called De Zilverdistel (The Silver Thistle.) This private press commissioned two typefaces i.e. Zilvertype designed by De Roos and Disteltype designed by Lucien Pissarro. In the year of 1916 van Royen was commissioned to design a book called Cheops. This book was printed in Zilvertype and the initials were also cut by De Roos according to van Royen’s specifications.
Van Royen’s more exotic side was evident in his titles, vignettes and initials that were much more extravagant than that of De Roos’s and van Krimpen’s. In 1923 van Royen changed the name of De Zilverdistel to De Kunera Press and passed away in 1942.

J.F. van Royen, double page spread from Cheops, by J.H. Leopold,
initials done by S.H. De Roos, published by De Zilverdistel, 1916

German

Rudolph Koch was a devout Catholic. He was a teacher at the Arts and Crafts School in Offenbach am Main. Koch regarded the alphabet as a spiritual achievement of humanity and sought the medieval experience through the design and lettering of hand made manuscript books.  He never did seek to imitate but rather to build upon the calligraphic tradition. After WW1 he turned to hand lettering broadsheets and handicrafts. His type designs over the next few years varied from original medieval interpretations to unexpected new designs like hat of Nieuland.  

Rudolf Koch, Halbfette Deutsche Schrift (SemiboldGerman Script), 1911 ‑ 13; 
Deutsche Schrift (German Script), 1906 ‑ 10; 
and Schmale Deutsche Schrift (Condensed German Script), 1910 ‑ 13.
Koch’s gothic revivals achieved unusual legibility, striking typographic color
and spatial intervals, and many original forms and ligatures. AU: Should be “Semibold”?
(In the context of type, “fett” is sometimes translated as “bold”). Semibold is correct.

Type sample of Neuland by Rudolf Koch. 1922–23

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