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book (design) story #533

fritz helmuth ehmcke:
schrift – ihre gestaltung und entwicklung in neuerer zeit

günther wagner, hannover, 1925
printer: j.g. weiss'sche buchdruckerei, münchen
size: 32 x 23 cm
designer: fritz helmuth ehmcke

fritz helmuth ehmcke (1878-1965) was an influential german typographer and book designer. in the early 1920s he taught at the kunstgewerbeschule zürich and certainly influenced some of the people there.

this book on the development of lettering and type in recent times was published in 1925 by günther wagner, the hanover-based manufacturer of the famous "pelikan" brand of inks.

although ehmcke's book design is not in the emerging "new typography" style, he includes such examples. above on the left an early soviet poster by walter roshardt who became a teacher at the kunstgewerbeschule zürich in 1926 (see story 494). there is also a decorative knotted script by walter käch (not shown, see also the previous story).

examples range from "de stijl" and bauhaus ...

... to expressionism (karl schmidt-rotluff), russian constructivism (el lissitzky) and experimental phonetic type.

the geometric "tambour" headline is by tschichold. below an early version of paul renner's "futura" typeface.