wim crouwel the man, the designer, the visionary
design focus: part two
the man
design focus
“It was actually quite difficult to avoid Wim Crouwel’s work. In the 1960s the Netherlands was inundated with posters, catalogues, stamps designed by him, even the telephone book.” - Karel Martens Wim Crouwel, Dutch graphic designer, was born in Groningen, Netherlands. From his birth in 1928, he graced the design world with his imaginative courage and insight. His graphic design career started in 1952 where he designed his first poster. Initially, he started as a painter after art school whilst focusing on Expressionism. Once he completed his first poster, he fell in love with the art of arranging visual information to create an aesthetically pleasing design. His transition from expressive painting to a designer completely dominated by function and form could not have been any more different. This redirection was a result of Crouwel’s intrigue of the realistic component in Bauhaus typography. In 1963, he instituted the studio Total Design, which to this day is now known as Total Identity. He is renowned for the work he completed for the Stedelijk Museum. Portrait of Dutch Graphic Designer Wim Crouwel
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design focus
the designer
Based on modern design fundamentals, Crouwel’s rational and organized technique is founded on a gridbased approach. He was able to achieve influence and meaning by purifying subjects down to its complete element through his technique. Whilst being distinguished for his poster designs, Crouwel was also known for his typography. The typography he created was fundamentally based on the meticulous use of grids which enabled him to plan them flawlessly. He was well known for his attentive creation and orderly process of his lettering. His work was persuaded by a unique era of typographers who had the courage to play around with lettering. Fodor and Gridnik are two of the typefaces created by Crouwel, which to this day are still currently available as computerized variations online. Wim Crouwel Kalendar 1964 designed by Wim Crouwel
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the visionary
design focus
“His revered body of work, which spans 60 years, has a deep humanity and an artistic quirkiness that combines precision with emotion.� - Jonathan Glancey
Wim Crouwel Kalendar 1964 designed by Wim Crouwel
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