Bruno Tomberg. Disaini leiutamine / Invention of Design exhibition and book

Bruno Tomberg. Disaini leiutamine / Invention of Design was an extensive retrospective exhibition and monograph of Bruno Tomberg’s work at the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design in Tallinn, curated by Kai Lobjakas. The exhibition offered an overview of Tomberg’s nearly six-decade-long career, exploring for the first time in greater depth his roles as both designer and educator. It also brought a wealth of previously unknown and unexhibited materials to the public.

Bruno Tomberg (1926–2021) was an interior architect, designer, artist and educator, recognised as a leading voice in Estonian design during its intense development from the early 1960s onward. Through his diverse creative, pedagogical and administrative activities, he embodies the story of Estonian applied art and design.

For this occasion, the display typeface Bruno 100 was created by Tüpokompanii. The font is based on Tomberg’s poster designs from the 1970s, strongly reflecting his style as a product and interior designer where diagonal lines and rhombic shapes were frequent motifs throughout his career. A fuzzy texture was added to the type in the graphic design (by Indrek Sirkel), and exhibition wall texts were roll-painted over stencils to achieve a fabric-like surface to echo the materiality of Tomberg’s textile work and rug designs. The accompanying typeface is Ladna.

While Bruno 100 was custom-made for this project, it can be licensed to the public, so feel free to reach out to Tüpokompanii if you’d like to use it.