d l o n h a J chic s T
BORN - April 2nd, 1902, Leipzig, Germany DIED - August 11th, 1974 TYPOGRAPHER BOOK DESIGNER TEACHER WRITER
SON OF A SIGN PAINTER AND LETTERING ARTIST -FRANZ TSCHICHOLD AT 14 YRS OLD SENT TO TEACHER TAINING COLLEGE AT GRIMMA, NEAR LEIPZIG
AT GRIMMA PURSUED THE STUDY OF LETTERING IN HIS FREE TIME
3 YEARS A GRIMMA ACADEMY FOR THE GRAPHIC ARTS AND THE BOOK PRODUCITON TRADE AT LEIPZIG
LEARNED CALLIGRAPHY, ENGRAVING, ETCHING, WOOD-ENGRAVING AND BOOK BINDING INTEREST IN TYPOGRAPHY AND TYPE DESIGN INCREASED
INFLUENCED BY WEIMAR BAUHAUS EXHIBITION CREATED A MANIFESTO PUBLISHED IN OCTOBER 1925 IN THE LEIPZIG “TYPOGRAPHISCHE MITTEILUNGEN” TITLE: ‘ELEMENTARE TYPOGRAPHIE’ (‘THE PRINCIPLES OF TYPOGRAPHY’) 1. THE NEW TYPOGRAPHY IS PURPOSEFUL. 2. THE PURPOSE OF ALL TYPOGRAHY IS COMMUNICAITON. COMMUNICATION MUST BE MADE IN THE SHORTEST, SIMPLEST, MOST DEFINITE WAY. 3. FOR TYPOGRPHY TO PERFORM ITS SOCIAL FUCTION, THERE MUST BE ORGANIZATION OF ITS COMPONET PARTS, BOT INTERNAL (I.E. CONTENT) AND EXTERNAL (CONSISTENT USE OF PRINTING METHODS AND MATERIALS). 4. INTERNAL ORGANIZATION IS RESTRICTION TO THE BASIC ELEMENTS OF TYPOGRAPHY: LETTERS, FIGURES, SIGNS, LINES OF TYPE SET BY HAND AND BY MACHINE.
1925 WENT TO BERLIN SET UP AS A FREELANCE DESIGNER LETTER CAME FROM PAUL RENNER RECOMMENED FOR TEACHING POST JUNE 1, 1926 AGE 26 TSCHICHOLD WENT TO MUNICH TEACHING OF MASTER PRINTER AND TRADE COURSES IN TYPOGRAPHY AND CALLIGRAPHY TAUGHT FROM 1926-1933 CONTINUED HIS EXPERIENE AND REPUTATION AS A FREELANCE DESIGNER BEST KNOWN AND MOST INFLUENTIAL OF HIS DESINGS FILM POSTERS FOR THE MUNICH ‘PHOEBUS PALACE’ CREATED HIS FIRST BOOK ‘Die neue Typographie’ PUBLISHED IN BERLIN SUMMER OF 1928 LAYED DOWN PRINCIPLES OF TYPOGRAPHIC DESIGN TO BE APPLIED TO THE WHOLE PRINGINT TRADE, EMBRACING JOBBING, ADVERTISING AND JOURNALS, AS WELL AS BOOKS.
TSHICHOLD ADMITTED INTO SWITZERLAND RECOGNIZED SPECIALIST GRANTED A LIMITED WORK PERMIT
AVERAGE QUALITY OF SWISS TYPOGRAPHY WAS EVEN LOWER IN GERMANY URGENT NECESSITY OF ESTABLISHING A SET OF HOUSE RULES TO BE USED IN HIS NEW EMPLOYMENT, BENNO SCHWABE. 14 HOUSE RULES 1935 FINISHED NEXT BOOK Typographische Gestaltung (‘Typographic Design’) PUBLISHED BY BENNO SCHWABE TRANSLATED IN DANISH, SWEDISH, DUTCH AND ENGLISH
PENGUIN BOOKS 1947-49 OLIVER SIMON SUGGESTED INVITING JAN TSCHICHOLD FROM SWITZERLAND OFFERED TO BECOME PENGUIN TYPOGRAPHER AT 45 YRS OLD CAME TO LONDON MARCH 1947 CREATED COMPOSITION RULES FOR PENGUIN
PROVIDED GRIDS FOR ALL THE SERIES
REDREW PEGUIN SYMBOL, PELICAN AND PUFFIN AND OTHER SYMBOLS THEN USED.
NEVER STANDARDIZED THE TYPE-FACE OR LAYOUT OF TITLE PAGES
AFTER PENGUIN 1950-74 CONTINUED TO PRACTICE AS A TYPOGRAPHICAL CONSULTANT FOR VARIOUS SWISS AND GERMAN PUBLISHERS 1955-1967 DESIGN CONSALTANT TO FIRM F. HOFFMAN-LA ROCHE & CO. AG IN BASLE, DESIGNED OUTPUT OF LITERATURE, LABLES, ADVERTIZEMENTS AND STATIONARY CONTINUED TO WRITE AND COMPILE HIS OWN BOOKS ON THE VARIETY OF ASPECTS OF PRINTING AND BOOK DESIGN Meisterbuch der Schrift PUBLISHED BY OTTO MAIER VERLAG, RAVENSBURG, IN 1952 PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH AS Treasury of Alphabets and Lettering BY REINHOLD, NEW YORK, IN 1966 Die Proportionen des Buches (The proportions of the book), 1956 TRANSLATED INTO SEVERAL LANGUAGES BUT NEVER IN ENGLISH
Erfreuliche Drucksachen durch gute Typographie, IN 1960 (Enjoyable printed matter by means of good typography)
TSCHICHOLD LAST IMPORTANT TYPOGRAPHICAL COMMISSION WAS THE CREATION OF THE TYPE-FACE “SABON” COMMISSIONED BY GROUP OF GERMAN MASTER PRINTERS A TYPE-FACE DESIGNED TO MEET SPECIFIC TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS SHOULD BE SUITABLE FOR PRODUCTION IN IDENTICAL FORM FOR MECHANICAL COMPOSITION BY LINOTYPE AND MONOTYPE FOR HAND COMPOSITION IN FOUNDRY TYPES, SO THAT TYPE SET BY ANY OF THE METHODS WOULD BE INDISTINGUISHABLE AND INTERCHANGABLE SHOULD BE EASY AND PLEASANT TO READ SUITABLE FOR ALL PRINTING PURPOSES
THREE MANUFACTURING FIRMS WERE LINOTYPE, MONOTYPE, STEMPEL COMPANIES IN FRANKFURT
MANY HONORS IN POST WAR YEARS
1954 BECAME 1ST CONTINENAL EUROPEAN AWARDED GOLD MEDAL OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF GRAPHIC ARTS 1965 CITY OF LEIPZIG, ON 800TH BIRTHDAY AWARDED THE GUTENBERG PRIZE DISTINCTION IN LONDON OF HONORARY ROYAL DESIGNER FOR INDUSTRY (HON.RDI) 1966 BECAME CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF THE GERMAN ACADEMY OF ARTS IN BERLIN
1968 MOVED FROM BASLE TO THE VILLAGE OF BERZONA, IN TICINO HOUSE WAS SMALL BUT HAD A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN AND TERRACED ON THE MOUNTAIN-SIDE HIS WIFE SUPPORTED HIM WITH QUIET AND SELF-EFFACING DEVOTION - AND WITH A STRONG SENSE OF HUMOUR
JAN TSCHICHOLD DIED OF CANCER IN LOCARNO HOSPITAL ON AUGUST 11, 1974.