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Some of My Favorite Jan Tschichold Quotes

August 01 2004 – 01:54pm

From Form of the Book: Essays on the Morality of Good Design

Today, good taste is often erroneously rejected as old fashioned because the ordinary man, seeking approval of his so-called personality, prefers to follow the dictates of his own peculiar style rather than submit to any objective criterion of taste.

Here’s another:

Since typography appertains to each and all, it leaves no room for revolutionary changes. 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.

Reiterating the previous idea:

…the typographer is chained more than any other artist by the unalterable word…

You can find these great thoughts, and more, in the essay Clay in a Potter’s Hand.

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This post is filed under Books, Design.