Hans Schmoller: the Penguin years
The St Bride printling library held an exhibition of the typographer Hans Schmoller's work at Penguin books, where he was the chief designer for most of the latter half of the twentieth century. Curated by David Pearson, the exhibition presented layouts, proofs and finished designs (i.e. the books themselves).
What was most satisfying about the exhibition was that it showed the whole process, from inception to execution, and allowed you to understand more of Schmoller's process. The quality of the work was exceptional, as you might expect, not just in the beauty and effectiveness of the final results, but also in the quality of the layout. Schmoller's hand-rendering of type was superb, and being able to see layout and printed book side-by-side was very instructive, not because it showed how similar the two were (they were, naturally), but because it showed clearly how the layouts, and their accompanying specifications, were the shaping force, the start of a dialogue between designer, typesetter, and printer, played out across a series of proofs, leading up to the printing of the object.
The presence of specifications in the exhibition was another plus point, especially given that the emphasis in today's computer-using typography and graphic design has shifted towards designer-as-producer (primarily as typesetter), especially in the 'designer' end of things: 'Art' books, designer monographs. I visited the exhibition with a small group including a couple of good graphic designers, neither of whom had seen a specification before.
Good specifications are fascinating things in their own right, and it was very interesting to talk about them with web-design colleagues. The ground covered by specifications is very much like the ground covered by design for complex, dynamic, web sites, so it was good to see such fine examples of specifications and to be able to discuss them, and their implications, with my colleagues.
Alas, I'm too late to encourage you to visit the exhibition, because it's already finished. Sorry about that.
- 24.2.2005, 8.47
- File under: Hans Schmoller, exhibition, review, St Bride Printing Library