München, April 1933. Police troops ram the city with mass arrests. Police Stations are in chaos, with people coming and going. There’s no time for proper records and legal bureaucracy. Amid all, a policeman is searching for someone among the prisoners that await their transfer to the labor camp.
“Professor Tschichold? You’re free to go » he announced. Then lowered his voice and stared the man wearing a crumpled bow tie. I have clean passports for you, Edith and the baby. Wait for me by the hall and then get out of here.”
“Thanks Hans. I appreciate it. I owe you this…”
The policeman glared that drained but confident face. There were wrinkles here and there and the hair loss was marching on. But deep down he was the same Jan — a childhood friend back in Leipzig.
“Now do yourself a favor, Jan. Get rid of that Russian philosophy that clogs your mind. You’d be a star among the Führer ranks, you know that…”
“Much obliged, Herr Bräun. But I am destined for something far greater than that. The conservative Hitler is the Past. I am the Future!”
Son of a sign painter, Jan Tschichold began to work with the Typography since his early years. Born in Leipzig, 1902, he studied painting and drawing and by 12 years old redesigned the cover page and text layout on a given book. Few years later he was already teaching Graphic Design and Typography. In early 20s he met László Moholy-Nagy and Paul Renner, future father of Futura. Through these friends he was introduced to the Russian Constructivism and some teachers of the Bauhaus — school responsible for the foundations of Graphic Design. He began to correspond with several artists and to experiment new aesthetics.
In 1925 he left Leipzig searching fot bigger challenges. After living in Berlin he adopted Münich as home, teaching at the School of Printing Arts (Meisterschule für Deutschlands Buchdrucker). Professor Tschichold emphasized the use of sans-serif typefaces claiming that it was necessary to put an end to the decorative excesses that came from Art Nouveau. During this period dangerous thoughts were flourishing in Germany while the Nazi party was grounded on Nationalism. Those ultra-conservative minds would advocate for ‘a purge of the foreign’ and a restoration of Germanic traditions. Progressive thinkers like Professor Tschichold certainly meant a menace to the country’s typographical and cultural heritage, with its ancient Gothic writing.
When Hitler ascended as Chancellor local designers had to register at the Ministry of Culture. Work permits were denied for ethnic and political reasons. Brains of the opposition were attacked and deprived of their work positions. The German state would provide a “protective custody” to anyone linked to progressive thought.
In 1933 Jan Tschichold was denounced as a cultural Bolshevik. He was teaching outside the city when SA Stormtroopers (paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party) paid him a visit. They found books, collages and material related to the Russian Constructivism. His wife Edith was arrested and Tschichold himself surrendered as soon as he knew it. The friendship of policeman granted the family valid passports and tickets to a fugue to Switzerland. After four weeks in prison Tschichold escaped from the realm of Terror.
Years later a letter was found — from the State Police to Tschichold’s editor: “For the protection of the German people, all copies of the ‘Photo-Eye’ (one of his books) must be confiscated. In his general project, using only small caps and certain techniques of illustration, the book exhibits a subversive tendency incompatible with the aspirations of the National Socialist State.”
After leaving Germany, Tschichold lived in exile in Switzerland, paying occasional visits to France, Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and the United States. He also lived for a while in London (1947–49) where he lead the revolutionary Penguin Books. Back in Switzerland he died in 1974.
Philosophy and writings
In the book “Die Neue Typographie” (1928), Tschichold defined the theoretical rationalism of modern typography, promoting asymmetrical layouts and the use of sans-serifs typefaces. The book quickly became the reference on modern principles to typographers, pagers, printers and publicists.
1. The new typography is oriented towards purpose.
2. The purpose of any piece of typography is communication […]. The communication must appear in the briefest, simplest, most urgent form.
3. In order to make typography serviceable to social ends, it requires the inner organization of its materials (the ordering of content) and their outer organization (the means of typography configured in relation to one another).
Jan Tschichold, Elementare Typographie, 1925
Besides its innovative character, Tschichold’s words were filled with controversy. He censured all typefaces of his time sparing only sans-serif (named Grotesks in Germany). He also disconsidered the use of upper and lower case characters in a mass of text. By the other hand, he’s defined several layout principles and has advocated for printing standardization — impacting what we are doing nowadays.
Vindicating Mr. Tschichold
In a later period Jan Tschichold regreted his extremism and denounced colleagues of the Modernist movement — he would compare them to Nazi minds due to their stylistic authoritarianism. He recognized the importance of certain classical values in Printing and admitted the use of serif fonts in large blocks of texts. Finally he designed a serif typeface himself, the widely used Sabon.
Quotes and Design Work
White space is to be regarded as an active element, not a passive background.
Jan Tschichold
Asymmetry is the rhythmic expression of funtional design. In addition to being more logical, asymmetry has the advantage that its complete appearance is far more optically effective than symmetry.
Jan Tschichold
Standardization, instead of individualization. Cheap books, instead of private press editions. Active literature, instead of passive leather bindings.
Jan Tschichold
If you appreciate this please consider sharing it. You’ll inspire me to produce more constantly and believe me, my draft list here is huge! There will always be interesting people and materials from the past to be reintroduced on our daily lives — rather you’re into Designer or not. Thanks for your minutes 🙏🏻
Bibliography
Jan Tschichold : Design Is History
soundElementare Typographie, manifesto de Jan Tschichold, neue typographie
Os catálogos de Tipos de Jan Tschichold