Bauhaus Typography at 100

An unprecedented, definitive look at the schoolâs typography and print design, from its early expressive tendencies to the functional modernism for which it is famed today

The Bauhaus looms large as one of the most influential legacies in 20th-century graphic design. Known for its bold sans-serif typefaces, crisp asymmetrical grids and clean use of negative space, the school emerged as the forebearer of a new lookâ"one that seized the tools of mass production in the creation of a radical new art. Today, just over 100 years after the Bauhausâs opening in 1919, the schoolâs visual hallmarks have come to define modernity as it appears on the printed page.

The official catalog for Letterform Archiveâs inaugural gallery exhibition, Bauhaus Typography at 100 explores the schoolâs legacy in graphic and typographic design through artifacts of its own makingâ"its books, magazines, course materials, product catalogs, stationery, promotional fliers and other ephemera.

From the bookâs beautifully designed pages, readers learn of typographic masters L¡szl³ Moholy-Nagy, Herbert Bayer and Joost Schmidt, who channeled Constructivismâs geometric forms and optimism for industry into printed vehicles for the schoolâs teachings. Here is where Bauhaus typographyâ"its rejection of serifs and capitals, embrace of experimental alphabets, insistence on universal clarity, and innovation in layering and hierarchyâ"took its distinctive shape.

The catalog also shines light on the Bauhausâs lesser-known early forays into expressive lettering and illustration, also tracing the schoolâs immediate impact on seminal design movements such as the New Typography and, of course, on design practitioners working today. Lavishly illustrated, carefully researched and written, and accompanied by an in-depth introduction from noted Bauhaus expert, author and curator Ellen Lupton, Bauhaus Typography at 100 is a must-have for any fan of modern design.