Elementare Typographie (1986)

Allow us to just copy-and-paste the description of the 1925 edition of this book as written in Shaping Typography. Read it with care and keep in mind that what we’re offering here is a 1986 facsimile from the collection of Inge Druckrey.

Jan Tschichold first encountered the New Typography at the Bauhaus exhibition in Weimar in 1923. He would have seen the work of the Bauhaus teachers and students, including Herbert Bayer and, most importantly László Moholy-Nagy. Shortly afterward, he met the Russian Constructivist El Lissitzky, whose work he would continue to admire throughout his life.

Over the following year, Tschichold’s practice began to absorb the influences he had encountered. He collected examples of modern typography from across Central and Eastern Europe, gradually refining his understanding of this emerging visual language. By the spring of 1925, he shared his ideas publicly for the first time in Kulturschau, publishing an article titled “Die neue Typographie” (The New Typography).

That same year, he began planning a special issue of Typographische Mitteilungen (Typographic News), published by the Bildungsverband der Deutschen Buchdrucker (the educational branch of a German printing trade union) and widely read by practitioners, particularly typesetters. In October 1925 this special issue, titled “Elementare Typographie” (Elementary Typography), was published. For many readers its impact must have been startling.

The cover alone exemplifies many key principles of the New Typography: the use of sans serif type, bold weight, lower-case orthography, vertical typesetting, rules for emphasis and for articulating structure. Inside, the editorial includes illustrations by leading designers and articles on advertising, Constructivism, and typophoto. Tschichold himself contributed two pieces—“Die neue Gestaltung” (New Design) and “Elementare Typographie” (Elementary Typography)—the latter an evolution of his earlier manifesto. In this moment, Tschichold positioned himself not only as a practitioner but also as a central figure in collecting, editing and disseminating the ideas of the New Typography.