WIL by Jeroen Olyslaegers (De Bezige Bij)
WIL is a novel by Flemish writer Jeroen Olyslaegers. Set in occupied Antwerp during World War II, the book concludes his trilogy of satirical folk novels about memory and identity, each title of which starts with the letter W.
Moker Ontwerp designed the cover for the first edition published by De Bezige Bij in 2016. The constructivist typeface is Oblong Light by Zuzana Licko and Rudy VanderLans. Originally drawn in 1988 for the logotype of an architectural firm in San Francisco, Oblong was soon after developed into a complete typeface in two weights, and put to use in Emigre magazine, probably most prominently in Emigre #11: “Ambition/Fear” from 1989. Made exclusively from straight lines of even width, the condensed slab serif resembles early computer bitmap fonts and embroidered lettering alike.
The bold sans-serif caps used for the book’s title were probably custom drawn, and enhanced with a dimensional effect. The W resembles an upside-down M. With that intervention, FT Industry Machine or Ridley Grotesk would come close.
2 Comments on “WIL by Jeroen Olyslaegers (De Bezige Bij)”
Konop has this 'W’ too. I actually wondered if this was Konop for a second, but it’s a little bit bolder.
To be clear, the mentioned typefaces don’t have such a W, but their M is similar when flipped. Konop was released only in 2018.