Teylers Museum in Haarlem is the oldest museum in the Netherlands, founded in 1784 based on the legacy of Pieter Teyler van der Hulst, a banker and philanthropist with Enlightenment ideals. In his will, Teyler left provisions for the establishment of an institution to house scientific instruments, natural history collections, and art, with the goal of promoting knowledge and learning for the public good.

The museum's Oval Room, originally the primary exhibition space, was designed to reflect the intellectual values of the time. With its elliptical shape and high dome, it provided a setting for the display of objects and scholarly study. Today, it continues to house scientific instruments and geological specimens. As the museum expanded, additional galleries were built to accommodate its growing collection, but the Oval Room remains a central and historically significant feature.

For several decades, Teylers Museum has used DTL Documenta and DTL Haarlemmer for its signage and publications, including captions in the glass cases and information typeset on the walls during exhibitions. However, it is unfortunately unclear who first introduced these typefaces or how their use at the museum began.

Over the years, several studios including Bregt Balk, Gracia Lebbink and Studio Wesseling have worked on (parts of) the museum’s identity. It’s not clear which of the shown items was created by whom, except the image showing the ‘chiseled’ T, which is part of Studio Wesseling’s previous visual identity for the museum (they are also responsible for the current branding).

Museum Plantin-Moretus in Antwerp has been using DTL VandenKeere for approximately 25 years in its exterior and interior signage, as well as in its publications. This typeface is prominently featured throughout the museum. Its return to the museum was significant, as Hendrik van den Keere (ca. 1540–1580) originally cut the Parangonne Romaine (known as Reale Romaine by Christophe Plantin), which served as the model for the digital variant, in 1575. Plantin first employed this type in 1576. The italic of DTL VandenKeere, on the other hand, is based on a model by the French punchcutter François Guyot (ca. 1505–1570).

The cover shows the country’s name in three scripts: Latin (Qazaqstan), Cyrillic (Казахстан), and Arabic (قازاقستان).

The author of the book, Alima Bisenova, writes:

Qazaqstan, Labyrinths of Post-Colonial Discourse responds precisely to this internal intellectual demand of Kazakh society for reflection on the problems of postcoloniality, for rethinking the (Soviet) past and understanding its current “place in the world” as a “small” (from the point of view of geopolitical influence) country, torn apart by cultural contradictions. How to talk about the “inconvenient past”, how to find one’s own identity and one’s own voice despite the “pressure of the metropoles”, and how to get rid of post-colonial complexes? The authors of the book, in their research, have intensely worked and reflected on many of these issues, and the time has come to present their thoughts and reflections to the judgment of an interested reader.

The book was designed in the summer of 2022 in Germany by Yevgen Anfalov, assisted by Ukrainian designer Olesia Bachyns’ka. Yevgen took the robust format of 130×195 mm so the volume is easy to carry, despite its thickness and thanks to its lightweight. The book is text- heavy: its layout follows the reader’s pragmatism. There are enough margins and room for footnotes, and all the cross-references are set in margins and linked to respective images. The book is unique of its kind as it is the first collective work on Kazakh post-colonialism.

The main language is Russian, functioning as a lingua franca for all post-Soviet countries. As original texts in Kazakh Cyrillic were set, language support of the body face was of big importance. The main carrier of the book's identity is the font KTF Labyrinth, made by Yevgen specifically for its occasion. It takes on the metaphor of a labyrinth as derived from the book’s title and is being used on the cover as well as on the chapter titles (pp. 3–4).

Due to the poor resolution of some delivered visual materials, they were digitally reconstructed as on p. 15. A special “book within a book” section features “post-colonial fiction” (pp. 21–22), marked by black margins, as if it were a scan of a smaller book. All in all, the book was made under limitations in paper stock due to sanctions on Russian suppliers (using the only suitable materials that were anticipated "blindly" at the distance) and printed at rather a fast pace, including night shifts – most likely resulting in a slight misplacement of the cover, which is shifted downward to 3 mm. All the print supervision was handed out to Anuar Duisenbinov, the project manager, who did his best to describe the outcome via smartphone videos and using LANGUAGE. The book production reflects its time and social conditions for sure. However, the book is an important lecture on Kazakh culture and has come to the world in a print run of 1,000 exemplars. It’s available from Tselinny.

From Lars Müller Publishers:

How will the human body, collective and individual, cope with the estimated increases in global air temperatures and in the earth’s corresponding thermal stress? Atmosphere Anatomies: On Design, Weather, and Sensation offers an in-depth examination of design strategies that situate the body and its bioclimatic milieu at the core of their spatial formation.

Drawing upon ten paradigmatic projects in urban design and landscape architecture – from Rousham Gardens, Oxfordshire, to the city of Chandigarh in India – the book investigates the designers’ bioclimatic aims and their spatial outcomes. Woven throughout the book, the evocative photographic essays of Iwan Baan showcase the selected projects as inhabited spaces for everyday life.

The book Zeven talen in zeven dagen (“Seven languages ​​in seven days”) was authored by Gaston Dorren and published by Athenaeum – Polak & Van Gennep, Amsterdam. 2022

In this book you will learn to read seven languages ​​in seven days. The author, language journalist Gaston Dorren, takes you on an adventurous journey. A practical book in which you gradually learn to read seven languages: a seductive and attainable goal.

This edition needed a clear structure for the design. The text contains words that are highlighted and explained in the margin. A compact and well-arranged book with more than three hundred tables and lists that makes it easy for the reader to absorb the contents.

I chose Frank Blokland’s DTL Documenta because of its classic timeless character and it gives enough difference in color and tone in a typographical field, without it becoming boring. A very pleasant typeface to work with.

The paperback book contains 460 pages. The interior is made up of two spot colors: black and red. The cover is full color.

Founded in Leipzig in 1828, German publishing house Reclam Verlag is notorious for its popular “Universal-Bibliothek” paperback series, whose brightly-coloured covers have been familiar to high-school and university students in Germany for more than fifty years.

The most recent update on the classic “UB” cover template was undertaken in 2012 by Cornelia Feyll and Friedrich Forssman, who chose Frank E. Blokland’s DTL Documenta as the main typeface. They also strengthened the famous colour scheme which identifies each range within the series: yellow for the most popular one (literary classics in German), blue for study guides, orange for bilingual editions of literary and philosophical classics, magenta for non-fiction, red for books in other languages (English, French, Spanish, Italian, Latin, etc.), and green for source texts aimed at university students.

The Feyll/Forssman design replaced the one established in 1988 (see this post) by Brigitte and Hans Peter Willberg featuring Stempel Garamond.

For those of you who can read German, the whole 2012 redesign and the history of the publishing house are summed up in this very nice publication (pdf).

The NIPKE logotype, set in Nip Sans—a redrawn and revised version of Arial Narrow Bold.

NIPKE is a beer and liquor brand initiated and designed by Studio de Ronners. The name is based on the Dutch word ‘nippen’, meaning ‘sipping’. Studio de Ronners writes:

NIPKE bundles our most outrageous ideas and experiments in taste, aroma and design. We founded the brand as an outlet for anything that doesn’t fit our regular work. In close collaboration with professional partners, we develop beers and spirits of gastronomic quality. NIPKE is also an exercise in uncompromising marketing: we go against all standards in alcohol branding and packaging to create a product line with a distinctive look and feel.

NIPKE products are enjoyable and drinkable, but they are also exclusive, coming in limited and hand-numbered bottles. This exclusivity is represented by the design, which makes it clear that this is not your average drink. With its bold lettering on back-to-basic monochromes, NIPKE can be seen as a kind of anti-branding, not obviously aimed at ‘selling’ the product. The raw style shows that this product is the result of lab experiments. It’s a collector’s item. The labels as well as the packaging are sophisticated, but they also exude a DIY punk attitude that goes against the predictable norm.

As part of NIPKE’s uncompromising branding, the idea emerged to use one of the most overused typefaces, which comes free with Windows: Arial (1982) by Robin Nicholas (1947—) and Patricia Saunders (1933–2019). You might be surprised, thinking the NIPKE typeface doesn’t quite look like Arial, and you would be right!

Together with Studio de Ronners, I revised—and redrew some letters of—Arial Narrow Bold, to change it from a typeface many people are tired of seeing, to something with a bit more intrigue. I removed the calligraphic influences (the curved leg in R has been straightened), I fixed some letters (I felt the weight distribution and curves of S around its spine were awkward), and I exaggerated some features. One of the most obvious changes is the enlargement of bowls—such as in P—and the widening of circular glyphs.

As a result, Nip Sans (English: “Sip Sans”) has a much more open and polished appearance compared to Arial, as well as a slightly erratic rhythm due to the large counter spaces in circular glyphs. To better understand what I’m talking about, have a look at MD Nichrome by Rutherford Craze, which features this effect in a more exaggerated way.

Also, Nip Sans features 4 stylistic sets with which you can activate characters of different extents of exaggeration or deemphasis. With its design and optional features, Nip Sans is decidedly more playful than Arial, with a bit of a DIY punk attitude.

☞ The NIPKE brand won bronze at the European Design Awards 2020.

A comparison between Nip Sans (black) and Arial Narrow Bold (yellow).

NIPKE No. 1 (Herr Heino) features Nip Sans, Neue Helvetica Medium (Weizen + Juniper + Lagering), Gloucester Extra Condensed (Herr Heino), and Haarlemmer Medium (OLD GENEVER, 42% VOL., 500 ML).

NIPKE No. 3 (Dibbes) features Nip Sans, a horizontally compressed/distorted Times Regular (DIBBES), and a horizontally compressed/distorted Times Bold (TRIPEL BEER + JUNIPER + LEMON + CORIANDER + GENTIAN ROOT, MOUTWIJN, 39% VOL., 500 ML.). The trolley is a custom design by Remmelt Deriksen.

NIPKE No. 2 (O’ Manta) features Nip Sans, and Heroic Condensed Black Oblique (O’ MANTA & the rest of the typography). Mommeriete + NIPKE (Swampy Wood) features Nip Sans, and a horizontally compressed/distorted Times Bold (MOMMERIETE, Swampy Wood, Porter, 5.7% VOL., 33 CL), and an undistorted Times Bold (SMOKED PORTER).

For the state representative for political education in Schleswig-Holstein, amatik Designagentur created the brochure Demokratie direkt vor unserer Tür (“Democracy right outside our door”).

The teaching material is intended to familiarise students with the structures, participants and decision-making processes of local politics. It consists of two folders with booklets and master documents for making student copies, and is also available online.

Modern typography with Urby for display and DTL Documenta for text plus contemporary collage-like illustration by studioiu, Silke Weissbach loosen up the information transfer and thus create a low-threshold access for pupils.

The web version uses the same typefaces.

What choices do you make when designing a book at a time when people read less and less, while the need for craftsmanship and knowledge is greater than ever? The book ‘Patterns in Nature’ asked for authenticity, wonder and tactile experience.

The starting point of my study Expert Class Book Design at the Plantin Institute of Typography in Antwerp was to design a timeless, handy and clear book. Refined, lively and inviting to browse, read the scientific and philosophical content to marvel at the universal shapes, structures and patterns in nature.

An orange line is the common thread in the book; it adds structure, color and playfulness. The four images on the cover refer to the graphic patterns and organic shapes that nature creates and which can be traced back to mathematical shapes and structures.

I have done extensive research into the typography and a suitable basic pattern, in which the varied images, graphic drawings, schemes and inspiring quotes and fragments could come into their own.

The main text reads like a novel, so I chose DTL Documenta by Frank E. Blokland. Documenta has a uniform structure with a low contrast and robust serifs. It makes for an easily readable text and it has a timeless and classic character. The header, figure numbers and subheadings are use Berthold’s Akzidenz-Grotesk. A powerful, simple font that connects to the dark images and navigates you through the book.

The paper of the cover (Gmund Cover Natur, Papyrus) has a natural look and a fine structure, which matches the subject nicely. The color black of the endpapers (Pop’Set Black, Antalis) provides a strong contrast with the light cover, this contrast is also reflected in the interior.
The interior has an uncoated paper that feels like felt (Fuego Matt white, Papyrus).

The final results of the Expert Class Book Design of the Plantin Institute for Typography are exhibited in the Museum Plantin-Moretus in Antwerp of April 17 to June 30, 2021.

The Chinese Art Book (London: Phaidon, 2013) was designed by Hans Stofregen, with cover calligraphy by Mike Mei. The entire book is typeset in DTL Haarlemmer, with Chinese text in an unidentified typeface.

From Behance:

The “Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal” (Dutch Language Institute) researches and describes the Dutch language in all its aspects, such as vocabulary and grammar. Studio de Ronners created an identity in which full name of the institute was incorporated into the logo while keeping it applicable for diverse uses. Two slashes, or virgules where used in the logo, which has both classical and contemporary associations.

From Studio de Ronners’ website:

We chose FF Schulbuch Nord for the logo. This typeface, created by a Dutch type designer has a modern look and is easily readable. DTL Haarlemmer – another Dutch design – functions as the basis for the tags.

The graphic line (marker) can be deployed horizontically as well as vertically, which is a nod to the graphic language in a dictionary. The function of the marker is to explain words, but also to indicate a hierarchy. Studio De Ronners asked for the favourite words of all of the institute’s employees and applied them to personal business cards, t-shirts and other means of communication. This way, the identity also serves as a way to express the involvement of the employees.

Apart from being designed by dutch type designers, the typefaces share an institutional / educational background, that matches well with the Dutch Language Institute. Just van Rossum's FF Schulbuch (‘school book’) is based on mid-20th-century German text books. DTL Haarlemmer is a digital revival by Frank E. Blokland of the hot metal typeface Haarlemmer, originally designed by Jan van Krimpen in 1938 as a typeface in roman and italic, for setting the texts of the “Statenbijbel” – the ‘official’ Dutch protestant bible translation.

In 2016, Penguin launched the Pocket Penguin series, featuring a selection of litterature described by publishing director Simon Winder as "a mix of the famous and the unjustly overlooked". The stripped down, three band design is classic penguin, featuring mainstay Futura and a ligature-happy Mrs Eaves (same as the earlier Penguin Little Black Classics). Colors are based on language of the original. Deep red is Russian, purple Latin and so on.

The website of the series is equally stylish, using DTL Haarlemmer for the free excerpts.

The Plantin Institute of Typography tea­ches Expert clas­ses on Typography and rela­ted design. As an inde­pen­dent orga­ni­sa­tion it offers a uni­que pro­gram com­bi­ning the­o­re­ti­cal insi­ghts and his­to­ri­cal bac­k­grounds with tech­ni­cal knowledge and prac­ti­cal skills.

Some of the pages are only available in Dutch. The custom WordPress theme was designed by Johan Van Looveren (Van Looveren & Princen) and developed by Filip Daniëls (Whispers & Sons). The typeface is DTL VandenKeere, a revival based on the Parangon Romein cut by Hendrik van den Keere in 1575 and first used by Plantin in 1576, made in 1991–1995 by Frank E. Blokland who teaches digital typeface design at the Plantin Institute.

LX Gesetze is a law app, developed by the team of Ellex, based in Germany. The app features an intelligent search function which allows to easily search 500+ German federal laws. Regular updates keep the law texts always up to date.

FEB

On the 10th of October 2015 the ArchipelpoëZie foundation celebrated its tenth ‘poetry wall’ by revealing a poem from the Belgian poet and diary writer Leonard Nolens, typeset in DTL Documenta on the wall of a historic building located in between the Royal Academy of Art (KABK) and Museum Meermanno in The Hague.

The foundation has as goal to embellish blank walls with poems typeset in typefaces designed by laureates from the KABK. The lettering is applied via laser-cut sheets and airbrush.

Leonard Nolens

Zbirka Trojinski Konj (Trojan Horse Collection), a book series from the Trojina Institute of Slovenia. DTL Documenta appears to be modified with shorter extenders, sharper corners, and a ‘k’ with disconnected stem.

In 2007 the St. Peter and Paul Church in the Dutch city of Maassluis was put into service. The futuristic building is designed by the architects Mari Baauw and René Olivier. The church is constructed out of steel, which is covered with a double layer of canvas. The glass artist Stef Hagemeier was commissioned to design the window of the apse. Fascinated by the prologue of the Gospel of John, he decided to put this text into the window.

Hagemeier is a former student of the famous Dutch type designer and calligrapher Chris Brand, and he selected DTL Albertina for the lettering. At that time he was working together with Frank E. Blokland on the lettering of the stained-glass windows of the St. Peter Church in the city of Leyden (see also this video). Blokland designed a special version of DTL Albertina with shorter ascenders and descenders, and smaller capitals for the window of the St. Peter and Paul Church.

Design Notes is a booklet from Michael Russem, printed for the friends of Kat Ran Press, documenting his collection of coins and banknotes designed by type designers and notable graphic designers.

Its production took almost ten years, more than hundred people worked on the concept and realization, besides the people at the printing office. The publication has to last for at least forty years. Eight tons of red ink and roughly 3,000 tons of light-weight paper (40 grams) were needed to produce the 3.6 million copies (1,300 pages each) of Gotteslob, the new prayer and song book of the Catholic church in Germany and Austria.

Responsible for the design of Gotteslob was Matthias Bumiller from the design agency Finken & Bumiller in Stuttgart, Germany. In 2006 he started with the design of this magnum opus, which resulted in a positively received test version in the next year. Legibility had the highest priority and factors like low light in churches in combination with the inevitable relatively small point sizes were taken into account. After testing several typefaces, Frank E. Blokland’s DTL Documenta was selected.

Éditions Non Standard:

… a selection of one hundred photographs of signs located in Le Havre, France. The signs are organised in five chapters and analysed accordingly: industry, public service, independent shops, franchise, seaside and temporary signs.