The Roots and Impact of Jan Tschichold’s Die neue Typographie (Vol. 1)

Jan Tschichold was an important German typographer, book designer and writer who is regarded as one of the pioneers of modern graphic design. Born in Leipzig in 1902, he developed innovative typographical principles, advocating for clear, functional design. His most well-known work, Die neue Typographie (1928), forms the foundation of modern design, influencing generations of designers. Tschichold was an advocate of sans serif fonts and a structured arrangement text and images. After emigrating from Germany in the 1930s, he resumed his work in Switzerland and later in the United Kingdom, where he continued to influence typographical practice.
 
→ Volume 1 examines the roots, sources and effects of Die neue Typographie, demonstrating how Tschichold harked back to existing sources to formulate his own ideas. The essays explore the origins of similar principles in the early 20th century in Germany, Czechoslovakia and Denmark.
The publication goes on to describe the effects of Tschichold’s ideas on the design scene by examining the dissemination, reception and consequences of Die neue Typographie. His ideas immediately caught on in Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States, with various national communities across Europe and Asia also embracing the principles of Die neue Typographie, adopting them as they were or renegotiating them.
The publication is designed to serve as a themed multi- and transnational history of graphic design, tracing the development of Jan Tschichold’s theories in the course of the 20th century.
The book widens the ambit of Die neue Typographie by expanding the time frame and geographical context and enriching the discourse on this movement.

→ Volume 2 is dedicated to the original sources of Tschichold’s bibliography. Based on a multilayered logic, the sources are arranged by typology (magazines, special editions, books, standards) and language.
Despite their obvious influence on his thinking, these sources remained largely unexplored due to their rarity and the resulting difficulties of consultation. To remedy this situation, this publication reconstructs the bibliographical sources used by Tschichold, offering a better understanding of the wider cultural context of Die neue Typographie.
The researchers identified all 120 sources, collecting them, wherever possible, in the form of original and facsimile editions. Volume 2 combines this research with a visual and text-based documentation of the references, accompanied by high-quality photographs with descriptions, pertinent information and other interpretations.

With contributions by Yevgen Anfalov, Andreu Balius, Chiara Barbieri, Sofie Beier, Jonas Berthod, Sandra Bischler-Hartmann, Jessica D. Brier, Christopher Burke, Yongkeun Chun, Catherine de Smet, Davide Fornari, Matthias J. E. Horneman-Thielcke, Lada Hubatová-Vacková, Sandy Jones, Juliet Kinchin, Trond Klevgaard, Sofia Leal Rodrigues, Julia Meer, Emin Artun Ozguner, Louise Paradis, Alyona Sokolnikova, Paul Stirton, Mariko Takagi, Katrien Van Haute, Carlo Vinti, Yun Wang