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

Thorne and the origin of the 'modern' fat face, pamphlet, Sébastien Morlighem, Poem, Frankfurt am Main, 2020. Published by Poem

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.

Pangramme: learning type design, catalogue, ESAL Metz, 2016. Download catalogue

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

Instant: from handwriting to type design, essay, Typografische Monatsblätter / Revue Suisse de l'imprimerie / Swiss Typographic Magazine, N°6, 2012. Download article

Une brève histoire des lignes, exhibition catalogue, Centre Pompidou-Metz, 2013.

The material discovery of the alphabet, Éloïsa Pérez, Poem, Frankfurt am Main, 2021. Published by Poem

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
Date
2012–2019
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, typeface, 2012-2019. Published by Poem.

Two types in one, type design workshop , Hochschule Aachen, 2019.

Alte Buchbinderei Appartements, visual identity, Baden-Baden, 2016.

Sweynheim & Pannartz, workshop, w/ Thomas Huot-Marchand & Emilie Rigaud, Biblioteca Santa Scolastica, Subiaco, 2018.

Yona Friedman. La création, visual identity, Centre d'art contemporain – La synagogue de Delme, 2009.

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