Shelf Life – Typo by Walter Marti

This week we’re highlighting the book Typo by the Swiss designer Walter Marti. It’s a wonderful type & printing specimen book that was printed in Lucerne, Switzerland in 1957. This is a stunning showcase, not only of vivid typography, but also great printing techniques and selections of paper in the form of letterheads, envelopes, and business cards. The book is remarkable for being produced so soon after World War 2. In many ways, this book is a testament to the human spirit and the indomitable force of artistic nature and curiosity. The book was published in German and is designed in what has since become known as the “Swiss design” style. Formally, it is essentially minimal in nature and to our eyes it has an incredibly modern aesthetic and appeal. Its design is timeless — and reminds us that while minimalism is rarely easy to create, the product of this distillation process usually lasts the test of time.