A student essay about Piet Zwart, a designer who pioneered interdisciplinary practice. Author Sibusisiwe Matimba.
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page 1 PIET PIET PIET PIET ZWART ZWART ZWART ZWART - PROFILE OF AN EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNER PROFILE OF AN EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNER PROFILE OF AN EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNER PROFILE OF AN EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNER An essay by Sibu Matimba DICHOTOMY OR JUXTAPOSITION? ‘Typotekt!’ I An innovative fusion of the words typography and architecture (‘architekt’ in Dutch) meaning ‘one who builds pages with type’ II . This idiosyncratic term is in essence what drew my attention to the life of Piet Zwart and is typical of the playful verbal and visual puns that enlivened his work. His own logo is a classic example of his creative facility. ‘Zwart’ (the Dutch word for the color black) is represented visually as a black square juxtaposed against a large capital ‘P’ written in a bold grotesque font. The text of his name in the upper left corner of the logo (also sans serif) at once lends artistic balance to the composition and seems to give a tongue-in-cheek translation of the pun. My expectation, at first, was that I had discovered a designer who had managed to marry the fundamentals of tangible three- dimensional construction to the typographic representations of graphic design. However, further study of this designer’s life’s work reveals not a dichotomous identity in the world I Cohen, Arthur Allen. Piet Zwart, Typotekt . New York: Exlibris, 1980. II Middendorp, Jan. Dutch Type. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers, 2004 QUOTATION QUOTATION QUOTATION QUOTATION DESIGN DESIGN DESIGN DESIGN “Design is not a matter of taste but an expression of our attitude toward life, dictated by the meta cosmos” Piet Zwart Piet Zwart Piet Zwart Piet Zwart Meggs, Philip B. “Piet Zwart’s NKF Catalog”, Graphic Design History. New York: Allworth Press, 2001. INSERT i – Piet Zwart’s personal logo
Transcript
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PIET PIET PIET PIET ZWART ZWART ZWART ZWART ---- PROFILE OF AN EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNERPROFILE OF AN EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNERPROFILE OF AN EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNERPROFILE OF AN EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNER
An essay by Sibu Matimba
DICHOTOMY OR JUXTAPOSITION?
‘Typotekt!’ I
An innovative fusion of the words typography and architecture (‘architekt’ in Dutch)
meaning ‘one who builds pages with type’II. This idiosyncratic term is in essence what
drew my attention to the life of Piet Zwart and is typical
of the playful verbal and visual puns that enlivened his
work. His own logo is a classic example of his creative
facility. ‘Zwart’ (the Dutch word for the color black) is
represented visually as a black square juxtaposed
against a large capital ‘P’ written in a bold grotesque
font. The text of his name in the upper left corner of the
logo (also sans serif) at once lends artistic balance to the composition and seems to give
a tongue-in-cheek translation of the pun.
My expectation, at first, was that I had
discovered a designer who had managed to
marry the fundamentals of tangible three-
dimensional construction to the typographic
representations of graphic design. However,
further study of this designer’s life’s work
reveals not a dichotomous identity in the world
I Cohen, Arthur Allen. Piet Zwart, Typotekt. New York: Exlibris, 1980. II Middendorp, Jan. Dutch Type. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers, 2004
QUOTATIONQUOTATIONQUOTATIONQUOTATION
DESIGNDESIGNDESIGNDESIGN “Design is not a matter of taste but an expression of our attitude toward life,
dictated by the meta cosmos”
Piet ZwartPiet ZwartPiet ZwartPiet Zwart
Meggs, Philip B. “Piet Zwart’s NKF Catalog”, Graphic Design History. New York: Allworth Press, 2001.
INSERT i – Piet Zwart’s
personal logo
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of design – one that straddled two distinct professions – but, more of a lifestyle of
experimentation within the broader aspects of design and technology.
Throughout his career Zwart intersected many
trades, and redefined the boundaries that typically
divided them. ‘These included graphic design,
architecture, architectural criticism, furniture
design, industrial design, painting, and writing,
photography, and design education.’ III
EARLY FUNDAMENTALS
Piet Zwart was born in Zaanijk, Holland in
1885. From 1902 until 1907 he studied at
Amsterdam’s School of Arts and Craft.
Teaching art history and drawing at the Girl’s
School of Domestic Sciences in Leeuwarden
(1908–1913) was Zwart’s first occupation.
This afforded him a broad platform for
experimentation in interior design, fabric and
furniture design.
III Fridolin Müller [Editor]. Piet Zwart. London: Alec Tiranti, 1966. First edition.
INSERT ii
INSERT iii
Self-portrait, 1931, collection Dutch Museum of Photography Rotterdam
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At this point, Zwart’s modernist ideal had
not yet been cultivated - his designs still
reflected the decorative motifs typical of
the Art Nouveau of the late 19th century.
However, his life philosophies were
already effectively shaped. Ideals such as
pacifism, humanitarianism, socialism,
being vegetarian and simplicity of lifestyleIV
were fostered during his student years and
would prove, eventually, to underpin his
independent stance in an era widely being
reshaped by emerging radical political and
socio-economic views.
SHIFTING TIMES
The Modern Age brought with it
advancements in technology such as offset
lithography and the halftone printing
process which spurred the era of mass communication. Commercial advertising and anti-
war art shifted the attention away from the elite classes to the growing middle class in
Europe at the turn of the century. From 1905 German Expressionist ideals began to
IV
Meggs, Philip B. “Piet Zwart’s NKF Catalog”, Graphic Design History. New York: Allworth Press, 2001.
INFLUENCES AND OPPORTUNITIESINFLUENCES AND OPPORTUNITIESINFLUENCES AND OPPORTUNITIESINFLUENCES AND OPPORTUNITIES
1919191919191919 FIRST CONTACT WITH DE STIJL Zwart became aware of the principles and
applications of the De Stijl Movement.
INSERT iv
INSERT V
Dadaist influence is evident in this page of a booklet that Zwart designed in 1931 for Trio
Printers. Zwart’s techniques of repetition and color overlap are evident.
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INFLUENCES AND OPPORTUNITIESINFLUENCES AND OPPORTUNITIESINFLUENCES AND OPPORTUNITIESINFLUENCES AND OPPORTUNITIES
1919191922222222 INTRODUCTION TO RUSSIAN CONSTRUCTIVISM
Met El Lissitzky and discovered strong parallels
between their experimental works.
INSERT vi
permeate Europe and the birth of the Modern Art movement emerged through various
interest groups promoting political and social redefinition. Proliferous ornamentation and
elaborate display typefaces that cluttered the media were replaced by illustrations
reduced to simplified forms, flat backgrounds and short concise messages. German
‘poster style’ (plakatstil) and French Futurism reflected a rejection of Renaissance ideals
and paved the way for Swiss Dadaism and Dutch De Stijl of 1917.V
House Manufacturing Company. It is possible that he was also responsible for
designing architectural signage for a
Christian Scientist building - a project for which he was the interior architect
while with Berlage’s architectural firm. The building bears a font of close
resemblance to the one that Zwart cut
for the Vicker’s House poster.
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experiment in the world of modern art. Through providential introductions to clients,
artists and other technicians in the industry Zwart began to spend increasingly more
time in the graphic design arena. Zwart
designed Wils’ business logo and office
stationery and soon he was commissioned
to create printed material for Vickers
House Manufacturers. Without any formal
training in the discipline of typography,
Zwart learned about typography from the
technical assistant at a small print company during his lunch hours. One appointment led
to another and Zwart’s ability to adapt to emerging design paradigms and graphic
techniques ultimately shifted his career into one of influence and innovation.
PIONEER OF FUNCTIONAL TYPOGRAPHY VI
As a typographer, in the strictest
definition of the profession, Zwart’s work
in the development of typestyles was
very limited. His earliest typographic
work (1920) incorporated hand-lettering
of constructed square letters combined
with his own design of sanserif fat-face
similar to the styles of Wijdeveld and van
VI Jaffe, Dr. Hans L. C. “Pioneer of functional Typography”. Neue Grafik, No. 10. Page 6. Zurich, 1961
QUOTATIONQUOTATIONQUOTATIONQUOTATION
DESIGNDESIGNDESIGNDESIGN “The task of a functional typographer…is to
find clear, well-ordered means of visual expression which shall be decided by modern typographical problems and
modern methods (e.g., phototype, techniques such as machine setting, type
writer script and photographic settings). It is to break with the spirit of handwork”
Piet ZwartPiet ZwartPiet ZwartPiet Zwart
Meggs, Philip B. “Piet Zwart’s NKF Catalog”, Graphic Design History. New York: Allworth Press, 2001.
QUOTATIONQUOTATIONQUOTATIONQUOTATION
THE TASKTHE TASKTHE TASKTHE TASK “The task of functional typography is to create a form of typographical design in
harmony with the present age, a form free of traditional conventions and as animated
as possible.”
Piet ZwartPiet ZwartPiet ZwartPiet Zwart
Meggs, Philip B. “Piet Zwart’s NKF Catalog”, Graphic
Design History. New York: Allworth Press, 2001.
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Doesburg at the time. Soon afterward, in
pursuit of greater efficiency, he began
sourcing letters, blanks and symbols from
local print houses that produced the
simplest, least decorated and most
pragmatic forms. In his writings Zwart
continued to press the importance of
improving the existing typefaces to optimize
their corporate marketability and brutal
legibility.VII His strong bias towards
producing user-friendly products and
influencing the arts to be more useful to the
end consumer are recognized as one of Zwart’s biggest contributions to the world of
typography and graphic design as a whole. Ultimately, his greatest aim was to “give a
new form to typography” and to “reform an art that had lost all distinction”VIII.
Through experimental advertising Zwart
reinforced within the public arena the
design manifestos of emergent modern
movements - particularly the
philosophies of the Dadaists, De Stijl
group and Russian Constructivists.
VII Middendorp, Jan. Dutch Type. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers, [2004]. VIII
Meggs, Philip B. “Piet Zwart’s NKF Catalog”, Graphic Design History. New York: Allworth Press, 2001.
INSERT viii
Bruynzeel’s modular kitchen of 1937 set a new standard for
interior modular design and industrial design. The
interchangeable options and
fitted appliances were break through developments at the
time.
QUOTATIONQUOTATIONQUOTATIONQUOTATION
NKF CATALOGNKF CATALOGNKF CATALOGNKF CATALOG “Although these designs appear to be very simple things without much pretension, I find this work very important a sign of our times.”
Piet ZwartPiet ZwartPiet ZwartPiet Zwart
Meggs, Philip B. “Piet Zwart’s NKF Catalog”, Graphic Design History. New York: Allworth Press, 2001.
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Piet Zwart was also known to identify
himself as a ‘form engineer or form
technician’IX. Practicality and
experimentation were his most distinctive
traits, which he applied to the many design
platforms on which he worked, often
concurrently. He is also hailed by some as
one of the “torch-bearers of early
Dutch Functionalism”X alongside other
contemporary experimental designers such
as Paul Schuitema. Their work, although
not formulated on, aligned with the tenets
of the ‘new typography’ as published by
German typographer Jan Tischold.
The introduction of photographs into
Zwart’s graphic vocabulary was a move
that clearly set him apart in the industry.
At first he hired local photography
professionals but by 1926 he was an active
photographer. Zwart’s new skill enabled
him to break away from the photographic
IX Van Os, Maarten. “Piet Zwart 1885-1977 Form Engineer”. Website of the Dutch Municipal Museum (Gemeentemuseum Den Haag). 21 June 2008. Gemeentemuseum Den Haag. 6 November 2009 <http://www.gemeentemuseum.nl>. X Middendorp, Jan. Dutch Type. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers, [2004].
INNOVATIONS IN ZWART’S WORKINNOVATIONS IN ZWART’S WORKINNOVATIONS IN ZWART’S WORKINNOVATIONS IN ZWART’S WORK
1919191925252525 THE NKF CATALOG Zwart’s work has been characterized
by:
� rejection of traditional hierarchy and structure of page layouts;
� very simple [designs] without pretension;
� radical application of a new design
vocabulary: raw, extreme, experimental;
� the use of echoes of themes throughout a
body of work;
� the use of diagrammatic maps to create recognition by memory association;
� the use of colorful shapes.
� page layouts with:
vigorous, open asymmetrical layouts
cinematic visual flow
dynamic unity between form and message
facilitated by the
authorship of his own copy
white space ebbing and flowing as positive
design elements;
lucid words and images, especially by way
of incorporating photographs;
photography – switched from professional
photographers t self photography in 1926.
He developed his own personal ‘razor sharp’
technique which stood at odds with the
softer, painted look of the day;
focal points that shift unexpectedly
throughout the body of work;
diagonal placement of photos and text;
photomontage with a modern and crisp
edge technique;
bold type overprinting images;
repetition of forms.
INSERT ix
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style of the time which favored softer that
was paid homage to hand painting. Zwart
departed strongly from that tradition
producing images with crisp edges, and
high definition. These images, when
incorporated into his more prominent
graphics projects gained him critical acclaim
in the industry and became hallmarks of
modern visual representation.
FAMOUS COMMISSIONS
Regardless of the arena, Zwart never
allowed himself to be locked into any one
professional or even temporal paradigm.
The strictness of the parameters set by the
avant-garde movements of the time was
too limiting to Zwart’s experimental
predisposition and he was found use
elements of many contemporary
philosophies in different contexts.
Notable projects that Piet Zwart has been
recognized for even to date are:
INFLUENCES AND OPPORTUNITIESINFLUENCES AND OPPORTUNITIESINFLUENCES AND OPPORTUNITIESINFLUENCES AND OPPORTUNITIES
1919191928282828 PTT COMMISSIONS (1928 – 1940) Zwart adopted certain De Stijl
principles:
� reduction of art and design graphics to
their
most minimal expression; � use of elemental geographic forms;
� use of primary colors.
1919191937373737 BRUYNZEEL KITCHEN Points of departure from the
movement:
� Zwart never joined the group.
� Zwart broke away from the restrictive vertical and horizontal emphasis
� He reintroduced more colors into his
work especially through overlaying and
interplays
of elements.
1919191943434343----1944194419441944 NAZI DETENTION Zwart was detained and held separate
from his wife and family when Hitler’s
regime reacted strongly against artistic expression.
Upon his release Zwart continued with many of the long term design contracts
and associations that he had made over the course of his career. He died in
Leidschendam on September 24th 1977
INSERT x
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1923 Verloop Estate Agents poster.
1925 The NKF catalog of International
Exhibition of film / the Hague,
1928 PTT Postal Service commission for
advertising and postage stamps.
Contracts continued until1940.
1931 Trio Printers booklet.
1937 Bruynzeel’s modular kitchen.
THE LEGACY OF PIET ZWART
I submit that we find ourselves in this
present age at another such ‘shifting’
period of history. The proliferation of
information in this present age could be
compared to the glut of the emerging
print material of post world war 1 Europe.
Unstable global economic markets have
lead to a re-evaluation of the role and
necessity of design in the commercial
realm. Thus, the question arises – ‘how
does the design professional remain
relevant and effective amidst the sea of
graphic images produced by professionals
INSERT ix
A page from the famous NKF catalog incorporated elements of photography,
sans-serif typefaces and graphic shapes.
The elements such as the black bars were practical elements to tie the pages
together visually as well as mask areas of
typically high wear and tear through use.
QUOTATIONQUOTATIONQUOTATIONQUOTATION
WORKWORKWORKWORK----LIFELIFELIFELIFE “What is the beauty of this kind of work? That it is a slice of life and that it is also your whole life.”
Piet ZwartPiet ZwartPiet ZwartPiet Zwart
Meggs, Philip B. “Piet Zwart’s NKF Catalog”, Graphic Design History. New York: Allworth Press, 2001.
page 10
INSERT xi
Zwart’s career crossed over into the film industry. These
classic posters are collecters’
items and are currently shown in museum settings.
and amateurs alike on widely available
personal desktop publishing software and
web media?’ Perhaps the ability of the
designer to navigate this season and
emerge as a valuable and essential asset to
the evolving digital revolution may hinge
on one’s ability to make necessary
crossovers and integrations across
traditional definitions of design professions.
More importantly, the innovation and
versatility of Zwart would lend itself well to
the creation of design manifestos for the
digital age that would help to bring meaning
to the vast quantity of eclectic material that
is, once again, the order of the day.
INSERT x
Zwart’s industrial sources and austere crisp technique for his photography spoke of his
modernist ideals.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cohen, Arthur Allen. Piet Zwart, Typotekt. New York: Exlibris, 1980
Jaffe, Dr. Hans L. C. “Pioneer of functional Typography”. Neue Grafik, No. 10. Page 6.
Zurich, 1961
Meggs, Philip B. “Piet Zwart’s NKF Catalog”, Graphic Design History. New York: Allworth
