The Werkplaats Typografie (WT) was founded in 1998 by Wigger Bierma and Karel Martens. Its curricula is based on practical assignments and self-initiated projects, also serving as a meeting place for graphic designers with regard to research and dialogue. Some of its participants had no formal design background, and some who did questioned the basic fundamentals of accepted design practice. Many are regarded as influential, problematic, unclassifiable figures in the field today. It is located in a small building in Arnhem, NL, which is also home to the bridge in A Bridge Too Far (1977). The WT is supervised by Martens, Armand Mevis, and tutors Paul Elliman and Maxine Kopsa. It started as, and remains, a curious and wondrous place.
********
The Book and other Books: The best books of 2006 selected by the Werkplaats Typografie. Concept and supervised by Julia Born and Lex Trüb; designed by Karl Nawrot and Guillaume Mojon. Newsprint. 12" x 8.25" folded. $10.
Best Books 2008 (Readers Digest): Selected by the Werkplaats Typografie. Concept and supervised by Laurenz Brunner; designed by Marco Balesteros and Jeremy Jansen. Newsprint. 12" x 8.25" folded. $10. Add to cart
The Summer Reader, Again, or A Diamond in the Rough. Eds. Maxine Kopsa, Cecilia Costa, Scott Ponik. Design by Costa and Ponik. Following the last WT Reader Walking on Splinters, this dense compilation of concerns contains plates, types, and texts that, when put together, depicts several moments in time plus multiple platforms of viewing. That is to say, it's both whole and broken. What does teaching mean and what does it mean to absorb it? And how do you pass knowledge on from a person to a vessel? Graphic design is what the WT is known for, but the reader gives an opportunity to see how it may interpret design fictions, too.
Contains Franz Kafka, Marcel Broodthaers, J. Guimaraes Rosa, Maxine Kopsa, Virginia Woolf, Ed Ruscha, Stephen Willats, John Berger, Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner, Bill Owens, Jason Simon, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, Errol Morris, Karel Martens, Martin Scorsese, Jacques Ranciere, Carl Andre, Julie Peeters, Italo Calvino, Denis Diderot, Jacques Derrida, Life Without Buildings, Emanuel Haldeman-Julius, Walter Benjamin. 7" x 4.25", 258 pages. $15.
Wonder Years / Werkplaats Typografie 1998-2008. An attempt at a comprehensive archive of the school's output over the last decade. Organized by classifications submitted by anonymous outside observers of the institution. Edited/designed by Alex DeArmond, Jeremy Jansen, Julie Peeters, Scott Ponik, and Boy Vereecken, with Lisette Smits. Contributions by Stuart Bailey, Uta Eisenreich, Paul Elliman, Raimundas Malasauskas, Karel Martens, Armand Mevis, Willem Oorebeek. 12" x 9", 256 pages. $50. Add to cart
WT/SUC Book Bag. Designed by SUC with WT graphics, with Madeline Williams as seamstress. Silkscreened, individually pieced and sewn in Portland, OR. Limited edition of five of each design with one a/p. Numbered and stamped with the designer's name. Reinforced handles. 13" x 14.5"; strap drop 19". Edition of five. Black ink, muslin, natural canvas. $40.
1: Hot Property, by Alex DeArmond (US).
2: Yo!/Eat It., by David Bennewith (NZ). 2-sided.
3: Love Grandma, by Francesca Grassi (IT). Add to cart
4: Sack Lunch, by Joris Kritis (BE).
5: Oogappel, by Julie Peeters (BE).
6: Types, by Karl Nawrot (FR).
7: SUC, by Karel Martens (NL).
8: Stand Up Comedy, by Na Kim (KR).
9: M, by Paul Elliman (UK).
10: Garfield, by Sandra Kassenaar (NL).
11: Bloods/Crips, by Scott Ponik (US). 2-sided.
12: Smile, by Velina Stoykova (BU). Add to cart
