New Alphabet: An Introduction for a Programmed Typography (Wim Crouwel)

Here’s Wim Crouwel’s 1967 proposal for a new type that, more than the traditional types, is suited for the composing system with the cathode-ray tube (CRT). It shows a writing system with no round or angular strokes. One might be inclined to call this a seminal piece—but seminal means “strongly influencing later developments.” We’re not sure it influenced developments. It just showed what was possible when one considered the tools of one’s time in history and tries to make letters outside the box (but also in a box). A radical departure and an important document.