This week we focus on the type designs of the noted Dutch type and book designer Jan van Krimpen (1892-1958) as presented in Twentieth century type designers by Rampant Lions Press proprietor Sebastian Carter, published by Taplinger Publishing Company in 1987. Van Krimpen spent nearly his entire working life at the great Haarlem printing house of Joh. Enschedé en Zonen beginning in 1923.
His first design for Enschedé was his Lutetia in 1925 (shown here in roman, italic, and open capitals just below his portrait), named after the Roman name for Paris and cut by the German punchcutter Paul Helmuth Rädisch. This established the long working relationship between the two. In 1928 Lutetia was recut for the Monotype Corporation to van Krimpen’s specifications, also beginning a long and important relationship between van Krimpen and Monotype. Lutetia was so successful that Enschedé made van Krimpen their house designer, which he remained until his retirement in the 1950s.
Van Krimpen did accept commissions from others besides Enschedé, such as the titling for Oliver Simon’s graphic design periodical Signature (1947) and the decorated capitals for Simon at the Curwen Press (1929), shown here with van Krimpen’s Open Capitals (1928) in between. His next typeface for Enschedé was his 1928 Romanée typeface, named after an encounter with a particularly good bottle of Burgundy, for which he designed an italic over 20 years later in 1949. He produced his Romulus type face in 1931 at the suggestion of Monotype’s Beatrice Warde. It is shown here just below the Romanée in roman, italic and open capitals, along with an alternate italic, a cursive Cancelleresca Bastarda suggested by Monotype’s Stanley Morrison.
Perhaps van Krimpen’s most noted typeface is his Spectrum, originally designed for the Spectrum publishing company of Utrecht between 1941 and 1943, and later adapted for Monotype setting in 1955. Shown here also are Juliana (1952-8) and Molé Foliate (1960) designed by van Krimpen’s colleague and successor at Enschedé, Samuel Louis (Sem) Hartz, although there is some dispute over how much credit Hartz should get for the Molé Foliate, as another colleague Pieter Wetselaar appears to have had a considerable hand in its design. The portrait of Jan van Krimpen shown here is by Sem Hartz.
View our other posts about Enschedé and Jan van Krimpen.
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