De Gemeenschap (February 1930)

De Gemeenschap was a Dutch magazine and eponymous publisher, established in Utrecht from 1925 and Bilthoven from 1935, for young Catholic intellectuals from 1925 to 1941. And who knew young Catholic intellectuals are so cool? The interior of this is nothing to write to the Romans about, but the front and back cover are stunners, designed by A.M. Oosterbaan (1882–1935), the Dutch typographer, designer, and printer. He was the director of the printer Lumax Drukwerk and there’s a sharp ad for them on the inside front cover. But you’ll know Oosterbaan for designing the masthead of de Volkskrant. Historically that masthead had been set in capitals, but when Lumax became the printer in 1935, he had the logo set in four different typefaces at his composing room and presented the four designs to his three youngest daughters. Lida Oosterbaan, then 15, chose Metropolis Bold, a face by German designer Willy Schwerdtner. But this issue of De Gemeenschap precedes all that. Uncommon in this condition.