Cover and back cover for the exhibition catalogue of Kunst en kind (“Art and child”), Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, December 1948–January 1949. The red type is Annonce, which is the Amsterdam Typefoundry’s name for the boldest wide style of a type series that originated at Wagner & Schmidt and was also known as Edel-Grotesk fett or Aurora-Grotesk breitfett. The big blue letters look like Onyx. This condensed serif was sold by Amsterdam under the alias Arsis. If this is letterpress-printed, it might be a wood type version.

Willem Sandberg built a reputation for the Stedelijk Museum both through his activities as a graphic designer for the institute and as the museum’s curator and director. From the Stedelijk Museum website: “Sandberg wants to make art accessible for everybody. Under his guidance the Stedelijk begins organizing workshops for children, and introduces a wireless audio tour”.

Kunst en kind was an exhibition that showcased children’s drawings from 24 different countries, children’s books by artists, and art books for children.

André Bauchant [Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, booklet no. 63], Amsterdam 1949. A cover for one of the 300+ catalogues Willem Sandberg designed during his time as curator (1937–1941) and director (1945–1962) for the Stedelijk Museum. André Bauchant was an artist who painted landscapes in a naive style.

Catalog for the “Beeldje voor beeldje” (“Frame by frame”) exhibition on Dutch animated films at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam. The catalog, which also functions as a double flip book, is bound with metal rivets directly in the middle of the pages.

The flip-animations are by Jacques Verbeek & Karin Wiertz, and Niek Reus.

The interior appears to be typewritten, in Courier and a typewriter script.

Source: twitter.com Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. License: All Rights Reserved.

The 2012 visual rebranding of Amsterdam's Stedelijk Museum was designed by Mevis & Van Deursen, and includes a website, publications, newsletter, stationery, and posters. The S-shaped logo is based on Union, a typeface designed in 2009 by Czech-born Radim Peško:

Union derives from the two most commonly used typefaces on PC and Mac platforms: Arial and Helvetica. Essentially, Union is a synthesis of these typefaces; its contours have been adjusted to retain the flexibility characteristic of both fonts. Union is intended for situations where Helvetica seems too sophisticated and Arial too vulgar, or vice versa.

The museum’s unique relationship with graphic design dates back to Wim Crouwel 1964 ‘SM’ logo and Experimental Jetset's 2004 ‘SMCS’ temporary logotype and sign system. Expectations for this redesign were high after a previous identity proposal (the outcome of an international competition) by French designer Pierre di Sciullo had been ditched by the newly arrived Stedelijk director, Ann Goldstein.

Source: www.creativereview.co.uk License: All Rights Reserved.

Poster proposal.

Source: www.creativereview.co.uk License: All Rights Reserved.

Website proposal.

Source: www.creativereview.co.uk License: All Rights Reserved.

Agenda proposal.

Source: www.creativereview.co.uk License: All Rights Reserved.

Agenda proposal.

Source: www.creativereview.co.uk License: All Rights Reserved.

Signage proposal.

Source: www.creativereview.co.uk License: All Rights Reserved.

Logo structure.

The readability and typography of Mevis & Van Deursen's logo has not only led to a heated debate in the Netherlands, but basically wherever it had been posted online (Brand New, Logo Design Love, Vimeo, etc.). Whilst the conceptual idea of the identity was recognized in some circles, its execution failed to find consensus.

Dutch type designer Albert-Jan Pool posted a photo of the logo on his Flickr account, questioning "Who has gone Dutch here? The designers? The museum?". Pool judged the logo as "far too nerdy and ideosyncratic to be communicative" and pointed out that "graphic design usually communicates better when there is a concept behind it" but "should not be confused with conceptual art."

Source: www.stedelijk.nl Photo: Andreas Kofler. Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. License: All Rights Reserved.

Current website.

Looking back from a 2016 perspective, I see the design as far less "outrageous" or "lazy" than it appeared to some observers in 2012. One can put it in context with a certain anything-goes aesthetic that can be found in all areas of design: for example, in Peter De Potter's work (which includes the latest Kanye West album cover), or in fashion (such as the Vetements label, who love using ugly Gothic fonts on their very expensive clothing), or in web design (see Brutalist Websites).

Andreas Kofler is an architect, urbanist and freelance writer. Originally from Italy’s German-speaking province of South Tyrol, he worked for several offices in Rotterdam and Paris — STAR, TD, OMA/AMO, l’AUC and DPA — before cofounding Weltgebraus in 2013.

Identity design can be judged not only by its initial launch but by its endurance. We’d love to hear from our readers about this work. How do you see the Stedelijk Museum identity today? If you have visited the museum recently, how did you experience the implementation of the identity within the institution itself? What do you think of its relationship with the design landscape at large? Please post your thoughts in the comments below. — Editors

Various catalog covers for Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, designed 1966–71 by Wim Crouwel. Images courtesy of Monowolf. See more on his Flickr photostream.

Grain Edit:

Total Design was responsible for designing many of the catalogs/ programs for the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The program above was created by Wim Crouwel and Jolijn van de Wouw (of Total Design) for an exhibition in 1970. The program folds out to a full size poster that reveals a huge letter “A” and the number “7″ which stands for Atelier 7.

Ambitious periodical by several Dutch art museums, like the Stedelijk and Kröller-Müller published between 1955 and 2009. Some info on the history of the magazine in Dutch here.

Via Monowolf.com’s flickr.