Konrad Wolf, Chronist im Jahrhundert der Extreme

Published by Die Andere Bibliothek (“The Other Library”), Berlin, Konrad Wolf, Chronist im Jahrhundert der Extreme (“Konrad Wolf, chronicler in the century of extremes”) by Antje Vollmer and Hans-Eckardt Wenzel is a biography of the famous East German film director Konrad Wolf.

Designed by Studio Victor Balko, the book is set in JAF Lapture – which itself has its roots in East Germany – paired with all-lowercase Suisse Intl, representing the “International Style” that dominated the modernist visual culture.

An explanation of the typeface selection can be read in an interview with the designer (in German):

As the main typeface I chose Lapture which is based on Leipziger Antiqua, published in Dresden 1971 and widely used in the GDR. Its gently sloped cursive turned out to provide a pleasant typographic color in text, despite the many quotes in the book. I contrasted the elegant, characteristic Lapture with the rather sober Suisse Int’l, representing the widespread “International Style” from the second half of the previous century. (Russian constructivism was another forerunner of the International Style, thus closing the loop).