This first edition of Summer School, themed ‘Type Craft’, included five masterclasses all devoted to typography in their own way. We also took participants on studio visits and guided tours through Breda. Another exciting element were the Type Talks, a talkshow with our Summer School masters.
Edgard Claes
We kicked off Summer School with a masterclass by Edgard Claes, including a very exclusive visit to his atelier at the St. Agatha monastery. Edgard is one of the world’s most prominent bookbinders. He is known for his craftsmanship, which he combines with the latest computer-controlled techniques.
He gave a lecture on the art of book binding throughout history and gave a tour of his impressive work and atelier, assisted by Hans Buddendijk. We finished the day with some monastery beers!
Edgard Claes and masterclass participants in his atelier | Photo by Joost van Asch
BAM BAM BAM by Underware
This masterclass was all about (further) developing typographic skills and creating a new typeface. Bas Jacobs of Underware invited participants to explore the visualisation of spoken language and sounds. Usually, designing a font family would take several years, but during this masterclass the entire process was covered in just three days.“I thoroughly enjoyed both masterclasses. It was intense, two masterclasses within six days. But a great experience. Getting a taste of a new speciality within my field, in my hometown. I feel very lucky to have experienced this! Thank you for a wonderful time and the excellent organisation.” – a participant of the Underware & Grilli Type masterclasses
Bas Jacobs of Underware teaching his masterclass | Photo by Rosa Meininger
As the title says, the goal of this masterclass was to create a countdown motion piece. Guided by Stan Haanappel and Elvin van Dalen of Studio Dumbar, participants figured out how to combine traditional motion software with unexpected tools, leading to surprising and unique results. Their final countdowns (😬) were presented in an impressive installation at Ingenhousz Breda.“I had a lot of fun and met a lot of people who have the same interests as me. I felt very welcome in Breda. In fact. I was a bit worried about fitting in, because I’m not from around here, or the Netherlands even, but it soon felt like I was exactly where I needed to be, with likeminded people. I will definitely apply for the next edition of Summer School.” – a participant of the Dumbar masterclass
Studio Dumbar masterclass participants | Photo by Rosa Meininger
Participants of the Dumbar masterclass admiring their work | Photo by Rosa Meininger
To some they’re ‘just’ book covers, to graphic/type designers they’re a great source of inspiration. During this masterclass led by Katja Schimmel and Tobias Rechsteiner, participants worked on the title design of literary classics. Letters were converted into variable fonts and the used to create animated book covers.“Sometimes I will focus too much on one idea, that I will execute almost dogmatically. Every once in a while I let got of this, and go with the flow. Tobias challenged me to approach certain choices more freely.” – a participant of the Grilli Type masterclass
Grilli Type masterclass | Photo by Rosa Meininger
Katja and Tobias of Grilli Type with masterclass participants | Photo by Rosa Meininger
THE SCARCITY TYPE by Autobahn
We promise you we didn’t glue our masterclass participants to their laptops. This group even went on a fieldtrip to… a landfill! Autobahn enjoys looking for the extremes in typography through materials. During this masterclass led by Maarten Dullemeijer and Rob Stolte, they challenged participants to explore the concept of minimal typography. How much (or little) do you actually need to reach your audience and deliver your message? The results were presented at various locations in Breda.
“The masterclass encouraged me to be decisive, innovative and to work with the materials that were available. This made me think about and further develop my concept, in a different way than I normally would.” – a participant of the Autobahn masterclass
Gathering materials at Verhoeven B.V. (Autobahn masterclass) – Photo by Rosa Meininger
Maarten and Rob of Autobahn with masterclass participants | Photo by Rosa Meininger
It was great seeing all these likeminded people come together to learn, create, and make new connections. We had a blast and I think we can say our masters and participants did too. A big thank you to everyone evolved and we hope see you again in Breda!
Special thanks to Ingenhousz Breda for hosting us in their beautiful building and to Keep an Eye Foundation for making Summer School possible.
Keep an Eye Foundation is a Dutch foundation dedicated to talent development that supports various organisations nationwide. Read more about them here.
