Jan Tschichold

Published in 1928 (originally in German as 'Die Neue Typographie'), this book was a manifesto for modernist, asymmetric typography that rejected centered, ornamental layouts in favor of clear, functional design. It became one of the most influential texts in 20th-century typographic design and helped define the visual language of modernism.

From 1947 to 1949, Tschichold served as typographic director at Penguin Books in London, where he established a rigorous set of typographic composition rules for the company's paperback editions. His 'Penguin Composition Rules' standardized the look of one of the world's most important paperback publishers and significantly improved their print quality.

Sabon is a serif typeface designed by Tschichold in the mid-1960s, commissioned by a group of German type foundries. It was designed to produce identical results whether set in letterpress, monotype, or linotype, making it a technically remarkable achievement as well as an elegant Garamond-style design.

Tschichold famously reversed course from his early radical modernism, later returning to classical, symmetrical typographic principles. After his work at Penguin and into his later career in Switzerland, he argued strongly against the very asymmetric modernist principles he had championed in 'The New Typography,' making him one of design history's most debated figures.