14 Quotes by Jan Tschichold

  • Author Jan Tschichold
  • Quote

    Standardization, instead of individualization. Cheap books, instead of private press editions. Active literature, instead of passive leather bindings.

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  • Author Jan Tschichold
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    The aim of every typographic work – the delivery of a message in the shortest, most efficient manner.

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  • Author Jan Tschichold
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    White space is to be regarded as an active element, not a passive background.

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  • Author Jan Tschichold
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    Perfect typography is certainly the most elusive of all arts. Sculpture in stone alone comes near it in obstinacy.

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  • Author Jan Tschichold
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    Asymmetry is the rhythmic expression of funtional design. In addition to being more logical, asymmetry has the advantage that its complete appearance is far more optically effective than symmetry.

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  • Author Jan Tschichold
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    The works of ‘abstract’ art are subtle creations of order out of simple contrasting elements.

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  • Author Jan Tschichold
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    The sanserif only seems to be the simpler script. It is a form that was violently reduced for little children. For adults it is more difficult to read than serifed roman type, whose serifs were never meant to be ornamental.

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  • Author Jan Tschichold
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    We cannot alter the essential shape of a single letter without at the same time destroying the familiar printed face of our language, and thereby rendering it useless.

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