Atelier Jérôme Knebusch
Mainzer Landstraße 105
60329 Frankfurt am Main
jk [at] jeromeknebusch.net
+49 69 15 61 60 23

Instant is an anachronic type family going from thin, quick handwritten letters to stable, black typographic shapes. Each of the five styles correspond to a singular design related to a specific stroke speed and weight: Vivid, Quick, Regular, Slow, Heavy. Hommage to the poet, painter and writer Henri Michaux (1899 – 1984), it questions fundamental differences between handwriting and typography, type family consistency and the relation and usage of roman, bold and cursive faces. Instant was designed by Jérôme Knebusch in 2005 as part of a personal research project at ANRT Nancy. First published in 2012 by BAT Foundry, it is today available at Poem. In 2020, Instant Variable was added to the collection.

Title
Instant
Date
2005–2012
Type
Type design, Research
Client
Poem
Place
Frankfurt am Main
Material
Retail typeface
Article
Typografische Monatsblätter 2012
Interview
Azimuts 2013
Conference
IStype Mono 2013
Award
Typo­graphica 2012
Award
Best ten fonts of the year, Fontwerk 2012
Publication
Poem

Instant, typeface, 2005-2012. Research project at ANRT Nancy. Published by Poem.

‘What if' is a typical question for an alternate history scenario, also called Uchronia: choose a starting point in history and imagine a different outcome. Based on Futura Fett, released by the Bauer Foundry in Frankfurt in 1928, the type was pushed to extreme blackness without loosing its historical reference nor becoming a caricature. Decisions Paul Renner took to achieve maximum boldness like opening the counters of some letters were taken even further. The typeface, designed by Constantin Pfeiffer & Jérôme Knebusch and released in 2020, was initially created during a workshop at the Gutenberg Museum Mainz at the occasion of the 'Futura. Die Schrift' exhibition in 2017. It has a single weight (among the blackest one can find), five widths and respective oblique versions. The glyphset is extended with Futura's iconic historical alternates, ‘Schmuck-Elemente' (decorative geometric forms) and a complete range of thin punctuation marks and diacritics.

Title
If
Date
2017–2020
Type
Type design
Client
Poem
Place
Frankfurt am Main
Material
Retail typeface
Publication
Poem
Free licences
For environmental & socially engaged projects!

If, typeface, w/ Constantin Pfeiffer, 2007-2020. Published by Poem.

Koch Lichte Grotesk is the newest revival of Lichte Neuland by Rudolf Koch, designed by Edvinas Žukauskas and Jérôme Knebusch and published by Poem for Neuland’s centenary in 2023. Lichte Neuland appeared five years after Neuland in 1928, in the Gebr. Klingspor specimen dedicated to the American market by the Continental Typefounders Association. Koch Lichte Grotesk is an accurate revival of the 12 pt Cicero size, the smallest one. It is currently the only fully identified original size, as shown on the 1928 index card of the German Association of Typefounders. This association was founded at the beginning of the 20th century and most German type foundries were members. It served to represent their interests in economic, political and legal matters. A secondary source are the Lichte Neuland Cicero letters from the letterpress workshop P98A, Berlin. Koch Lichte Grotesk is available in four fonts: 12 Cicero, 12 Cicero Plain, 12 Cicero Inline and 12 Cicero Line. 10% of licence purchases are deposited each year as flowers on Koch's grave.

Title
Koch Lichte Grotesk
Date
2023
Type
Type design
Client
Poem
Place
Frankfurt am Main
Material
Retail typeface
Conference
ENSAD Nancy 2023
Photography
Norman Posselt
Publisher
Poem

Koch Lichte Grotesk, typeface, 2023, w/ Edvinas Žukauskas. Published by Poem.

Schriftgestaltung: zwischen Leserlichkeit und Ausdruck, Hochschule Darmstadt, 2016.

One week workshop with Bachelor students. Design of a digital alphabet where capitals and minuscules have a distinctive different drawing.

Title
Two types in one
Date
2019
Type
Education
Client
Hochschule Aachen
Place
Aachen
Material
Workshop

Two types in one, Hochschule Aachen, 2019.

Là où les détails se cachent, Sébastien Gouju, Institut Français Stuttgart, 2013.

Espèce d'ABC pour un espace à travers, École nationale supérieure d'art, Nancy, 2007.

Almost is a typeface between gothic and roman. It was designed by Jérôme Knebusch in five weights and many alternates. They can be endlessly combined, taking either a roman or gothic direction, without falling in a strong, broken script nor becoming a ‘pure’ roman design. Above, uncialesque and bizarre (Byzantine) letterforms and a full set of initials complete the fonts. All take their inspiration in the 15th century, specifically in the period of 1459-1482 with Gotico-Antiqua typefaces like the ‘Durandus’ of Fust & Schöffer, the first type to present a humanistic tendency. A few years later Sweynheim & Pannartz use a type in Subiaco which some consider to be the first roman although gothic influences remain clearly visible. Roman type was finally defined in 1469-70 in Venice by the ‘de Spira’ brothers and Nicolas Jenson. But roman did not precipitate the death of gothic forms, mixtures of gothic and roman were tried out and the two co-existed for some time. Almost is a hommage to these types, which represent a unique, transitory moment in history of typography. More information about Almost on Poem's website.

Title
Almost Italic
Date
2021
Type
Type design, Research
Client
Poem
Place
Frankfurt am Main
Material
Retail typeface
Conference
Gotico-Antiqua symposium, Nancy 2019
Award
Type Directors Club 2020
Award
Typographica 2019
Publication
Poem

Almost Italic, typeface, 2021. Published by Poem.

Visual identity and design of the symposium & exhibition Gotico-Antiqua, proto-roman, hybrid. 15th-century types between gothic and roman held at ENSAD Nancy in 2019. Design in French and English includes signage, poster, booklets and micro-website where you can find more information about the project (see link below). First use of the Almost typeface.

Title
Gotico-Antiqua, proto-roman, hybrid. 15th-century types between gothic and roman
Date
2019
Type
Research, Visual identity
Client
Atelier National de Recherche Typographique
Place
Nancy
Material
Exhibition, symposium, signage, poster, booklets
Website
gotico-antiqua.anrt-nancy.fr
Screenprint
Lézard Graphique, Brumath

Gotico-Antiqua, proto-roman, hybrid. 15th-century types between gothic and roman, symposium & exhibition, ANRT/ENSAD Nancy, 2019.

Europa String Quartet, Marienkirche, Berlin, 2009.

Rudolf Koch's and Fritz Kredel's remarkable Blumenbuch [the flower book] was published several times between 1929 and 1942, from pocket book editions to precious volumes and portfolios, involving many collaborators, printers and publishers like Mainzer Presse, Ernst-Ludwig-Presse in Darmstadt and Insel-Verlag, Leipzig. The essay by Jérôme Knebusch compiles a detailed chronology of the different editions and presents rare and unpublished material from the archives of the Klingspor Museum, Offenbach am Main. About the Blumenbuch is the first of the Poem Pamphlet series edited by Alice Savoie and Jérôme Knebusch.

Title
About the Blumenbuch
Date
2020
Type
Research, Editorial design
Client
Poem
Place
Frankfurt am Main
Material
Essay
Publisher
Poem

About the Blumenbuch, Poem, Frankfurt am Main, 2020.

Artem is the custom exclusive typeface for ARTEM, which stands for Art, Technology and Management,an original initiative set up by the École nationale supérieure d'art et de design de Nancy, ICN Business School and Mines Nancy. For everyday text use, an extension known as Artem Bureau has been added to the Artem type family. While Artem is a unicase type (a singular mixture of some capitals and minuscules), Artem Bureau is a complete set of lowercase and capitals for everyday office use, and enhanced with more extensive functions and glyphs. Currently, only ENSAD Nancy uses this typeface, available in Regular, Bold (2017) and Italic (2022). ENSAD Nancy has also ordered a graphic version, Artem Dot, which reinforces its identity within the overall Artem project. More information on the Artem identity typeface page.

Title
Artem Bureau
Date
2017–2022
Type
Type design
Client
École nationale supérieure d'art et design Nancy
Place
Nancy
Material
Custom typeface

Artem Bureau Italic, custom typeface, ENSAD, Nancy, 2017, 2022.

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