Jan Tschichold Designer

Shortly after the end of the Second World War, and following the success of its paperback rebranding, Penguin Books made the bold decision to completely redesign its publications. Their subsequent choice of designer would not only lead to the consolidation of an iconic brand but also a revolution in typographic conventions. By the time Jan Tschichold (1902-1974) arrived at Penguin Books in 1947, he had already established himself as an innovative and highly-talented typographer and graphic designer. His previous prolific design experience helped him tackle the Herculean task presented to him: to create a uniform design that could be applied to mass production. The resulting Penguin Composition Rules and King Penguin standard grids, represent one aspect of the typographic revolution that Tschichold masterminded at the publishing house. Examining for the first time Tschichold's innovative design practices at Penguin, this book offers a detailed account of the development of an iconic brand. Including over 100 reproductions plus texts written by Tschichold that discuss the Penguin redesign specifically, "Jan Tschichold, Designer -The Penguin Years" is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of twentieth-century graphic design.