book (design) story #572
ileana holmboe:
urwald-abenteuer
holbein-verlag, basel, 1946
printer: offsetdruck ag, basel
size: 19 x 24 cm
designer: jan tschichold

when ileana holmboe (*1936) was a 7-year-old girl living in denmark, she won a contest for the best children's book written and illustrated by a child.

her "urskov-æventyr" (jungle adventure) was published in 1944 in kopenhagen. a short research in the net suggests that ileana's father was danish composer vagn gylding holmboe.

the basel-based holbein-verlag must have been impressed by the book, and so they published a german edition in 1946.

while the danish original reproduced ileana's handwriting, ...

... the german edition was set in big sansserif type – easy for kids to read.

the layout is symmetric, however the text is set unjustified – ...

... maybe to emulate the hand-lettering of children?

sure the designer of the typography knew what he was doing, since according to the impressum ...

... he was non lesser than the master himself: ...

... jan tschichold (1902-1974)!

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