Since the fifteenth century, printers have celebrated Koppermaandag, the first Monday after Epiphany. Apprentices and journeymen made a special kopper print for that day, a loose proof in which they could showcase their craftsmanship, typographical knowledge and technical skills. Without a client, without a commercial purpose, but with maximum scope for experimentation and play.
We have been continuing this centuries-old tradition together with NPN Printing since 2023. This year, we are presenting a third koppermaandag print. In doing so, we are underlining the importance of creation, testing and research within graphic design. For this year’s edition, we invited American designers Tré Seals of Vocal Type Co. and studio Civilization. Their contribution ties in with this year’s theme, CHARACTERS, in which we explore how letters are carriers of stories, identity and social change.
Voices in Type
The print is part of the CHARACTERS Voices in Type project. It is inspired by protest typography and the call for rehabilitation by Surinamese writer and resistance fighter Anton de Kom. Tré Seals designed the VTC WIJ typeface especially for this project, based on Dutch post-war protest banners and action typography. This typeface gives De Kom’s message of solidarity and freedom a contemporary, visible form.
We realised several projects around this theme in collaboration with Vocal Type Co. and Civilization. These ranged from a large-scale typographic mural in Breda with the text “Vandaag vrij altijd vrij” (Free today, free forever) to publications and presentations in which typography is used as a means of connecting history, activism and design. This year’s Koppermaandagprent not only celebrates the revaluation of print and craftsmanship, but also shows how graphic design can contribute to social dialogue. Just as individual letters form words, creators form a movement.
Foto door Edwin Wiekens
