Jan Tschichold experienced one of the most resounding conversions in the history of 20th century graphics. After the revolution brought about by his manual Die Neue Typographie (Berlin, 1928), he reconsidered his theses in the mid-1930s with Typographische Gestaltung (Basel, 1935) and finally experienced an absolute return to classicism from the 1940s until the end of his life. The dynamic and asymmetrical compositions of the first stage, based on dry wood types, gave rise to pages that were perfectly centred, respecting the formal conventions of the historical tradition of printing.
Swiss graphics of the 20th century developed from the precepts of the German “new typeface” established by Jan Tschichold throughout the 1920s. It proposed a new concept of graphics characterized by asymmetric composition, the use of dry-stamp typography and the use of photography. One of the pioneers was Herbert Matter who, with his splendid tourist posters, represented a new vision of visual communication, strongly influenced by Russian constructivism and the interwar photographic avant-garde.
Bookworm is a journey through books guided by Andreu Jansà, librarian and curator of the Enric Bricall Reserve Fund. Students will have the privilege of studying unique copies of the Elisava Library.
The objective of the Reserve Collection is to become a true universal history of modern graphic design applied to the publishing world. The books that make up the collection are documented in the main accounts of the history of 20th century graphic design.
