Typografische Monatsblätter, Nos. 1–7

“Swiss born, Yves Zimmermann designed a captivating series of seven, black and white, text-only covers for TM in 1959 (yet published in 1960) – uniquely different than other covers TM had published. Apparently, the editorial team found the idea behind the designs too controversial and only published issue No. 1, January and No. 2, February. Perhaps the strong beliefs and theories of the magazine and the “Basel School” help explain why. 

Stylistically different than Zimmermann’s earlier TM covers in 1958, these new designs have a stronger purpose, evoking words as they are spoken and not as they are written. For example in issue No. 1 reading the right-hand column first, the letters spell out the title phonetically: te – em – 1 / tip – o / gr – afise / mo – naz / bl – etr. In issue No. 2 it should be read as: es – ge – em (as in SGM, short for Schweizer Graphische Mitteilungen) / er – esi (or RSI Revue Suisse de L’imprimerie) / t – o / g – afise / m – naz / b – etr (or Typographische Monatsblätter).”

Read on on This is Display

See also Typografische Monatsbätter 11