Magazine Karel Martens

Soms heb je van die dagen dat je een beetje kleur mist in je leven. Vooral
nu de winter in aantocht is. De dagen worden korter en de avonden worden
langer. De kou en de kilte doen je verlangen naar warmere oorden, naar
kleurrijke cocktails en witte stranden. Dit kan ik je deze maand helaas
niet geven, maar een topdesigner wel: Karel Martens. Zijn werk laat zich
kenmerken door ambachtelijkheid en eenvoud. Hij is een icoon als het gaat
om fascinatie voor kleur en voor de abstracte vormen van letters en cijfers.
Werk waardoor je je beter voelt tijdens deze koude dagen. Ondertussen heb
ik mijn derde kopje thee erbij gepakt en probeer ik in woorden te bevatten
wat deze man heeft betekend voor onze kunstgeschiedenis. Totdat ik me
bedacht dat je dit natuurlijk allemaal kan gaan lezen in dit nieuwe magazine.


Veel leesplezier

Babs van Oijen
Hoofdredacteur

Profile


Martens was born in Mook en Middelaar
in 1939 and graduated from the Arnhem
Academy of Art and Industrial Arts of the
Netherlands in 1961 where he studied
fine arts. He did not study graphic design
because it was not considered a career
at the time and therefore, did not exist as
its own course of study. In school he took
many classes such as painting, sculpture
making, illustration, and publicity. Today he
is recognized as one of the most influential
practitioners in graphic design.
He started teaching at ArtEZ in Arnhem
in 1977. In 1998 he, along with Wigger His method Text: Wikepedia Photo: Pinterest
Bierma, founded the Werkplaats Typografie, He had always been fascinated with language,
a renowned Masters course for typography mathematics and color and he finds a way to
in Arnhem, Netherlands. Martens’s practice incorporate all these interests into his designs.
consists of designing and teaching. He is His monoprints series was created using found
responsible for the design of architectural metal objects and other miscellaneous objects
magazine OASE, in collaboration with collected form the side of the road. He uses these
current and former students. And he has objects to print ink on found paper. His methods
designed books for publisher SUN in many are slow but very precise—he prints one colour
varying formats. His work has also included per day, waits for it to dry, and prints the second
designing coins, postage stamps and colour the next day. By this method, Martens’
telephone cards for the Dutch government. prints may take days or weeks to be completed.

Karel Martens on design: Not
like fries and mayo, pleasing

you instantly but then causing
stomach-aches


Text: Harmen Liemburg for Étapes design and visual culture, September 2010

At the age of 71, with a career that spans almost half a
century, Karel Martens is active as ever. When I meet
him in his industrious Amsterdam studio at the water last
week, he’s busy reviewing changes to the extended third
edition of Printed Matter\Drukwerk that is soon going to
press and should be available this fall.


Recently you worked with symbols where
the halftone dots are replaced by layers of “I’m not sure if I’m
various vector elements. What caused it? such a brilliant
A birth announcement for my grandson (2002, designer really, but I
Zeno) seems to be a moment in my live that I do like teaching very
start to work with icons. The desire had been much.”
there for some time. Every designer or student
seems to rediscover the crude halftone at some
point, but I’ve always thought how nice it would As a designer who’s work is embedded in
be to create different shapes instead of dots. materials and the practical joy of making,
One of the reasons why Printed Matter is how do you relate to that?
such a popular book must be the fact that I think the ideal would be a mixture of the two.
you’re so generous sharing your working Originally, I’m not a real intellectual. In that sen-
process and project backgrounds. se, Wigger (Bierma, co-founder of Werkplaats
Well, I don’t know… I’m not sure if I’m such a Typografie) clearly represents the word. Armand
brilliant designer really, but I do like teaching. Mevis, who currently teaches at WT) also is a
What I mean is that although the book is doer and an important engine for WT. We just
of course a beautiful object with lots of ap- finished the annual selection process, where
pealing pictures, it requires a serious time out of 125 applicants we admitted 9 students for
investment from the reader to really get into the next year. We’re looking at how this group is
the dense layers of information. In a way, the composed, and are trying to create a good balan-
reader is invited to study. ce between the workers and theoretians.
You should know that this is merely to the Look, design or maybe life itself is about
merit of editor and designer Jaap van Triest, questioning the traditions. If you’re making a
who’s books are always full of information. bookcover, you have to relate to all bookcovers
Of course I contributed my share of time that have been made before. To students I often
and energy, but the concept is Jaap’s say, try to act as if you don’t know what a book is,
Recently in Dutch design education, there’s like you’ve never seen a bookcover before. Ask
been a strong focus on intellectual aspects. yourself, what kind of thing is that? Does it have

to be strong? Does it need a dustjacket? That is lead type. I’m not a traditionalist!
simply impossible. But I think something like that Running the screenprinting lab one day a
would be the ideal situation, to ask a series of week, causes me to stay open minded and
questions that have not yet been answered by flexible. Sometimes I think I get more out of it
many others already. that the students I work with…
Do you feel limited by tradition then? For me teaching is very important as well.
No, to me it’s a point of reference. In that sense Without teaching, this book (Printed Matter)
I’m a Darwinist. I believe in evolution, more than might never have been published. I very much
in in revolution. Look at the introduction of the enjoy the interaction with students. Despite my
Macintosh, bringing new technical possiblities busy schedule, going back and forth to Arnhem
that thoroughly changed the graphic design to be at the WT gives me a shot of energy. It’s the
trade. But still, you’re relating to Piet Zwart and same questions all over, but each generation has
everything that came before and after. a new ways to find an original answer to them.
How do your students at the Werkplaats It’s very rewarding to see that happen.
Typografie relate to that? You often collaborate with students, as
Of course this is different for each individual, you do designing the OASE series. In fact
but it’s obvious that there’s a strong demand for the original concept of the WT was based on
information. Take a golden oldie like Sandberg… the idea of tutors and students working side
Students sense there’s something original and by side. At the moment Karl Nawrot (a former
sincere about him and his work, something WT student) is busy in your studio. What are
organic… Which causes us to have an earlier you currently working on?
publication translated in English. Karl collaborated with me executing the
Architecture As Craft project (2009), but we’re
“I like to believe in currently occupied with making French balconies
an organic course of for a new building by the Austrian architects
events.” Baumschlager Eberle in IJburg (new citydistrict
in Amsterdam), as well as wall decorations. Our
It’s about permanently questioning history. In initial proposal to add type to the building was
regard to evolution, I grew up as a modernist, declined, so that is why we came up with a more
and I’ve always felt as a socialist. Still do. As abstract design using pixellike shapes.
long as the world is not a perfect place, things To what extend do you follow your ex-
will have to change. Nobody will benefit from students?
preserving the status quo as this will only lead I like to believe in an organic course of events. I
to decay. So, in order to achieve a better life, never study other designer’s output because that
change is neccesary. This is why you won’t find doesn’t work for me. I’m not a member of any
me idealising old techniqes like letterpress or organisation or club either. ●

1996
1961











Karel Martens, born in 1939
at Mook en Middelaar in
The Netherlands, finished Workshop.
as a student at the Arnhem he started the Typography
School of Art in 1961. gether with Wigger Bierma, sity. In the same year, to-


He worked for the publisher School of Art, Yale Univer-
Van Loghem Slaterus. design department at the
That publisher was based ting lecturer in the graphic
in Arnhem. The city where 1997 he has been a visi-
Karel lived for a very long From (1994-99). tricht
time. Eyck Academie in Maas- attached to the Jan van (until 1994). He was then at the Arnhem School of Art His first appointment was graphic design since 1977. Karel Martens has taught















1970s Kluwer the He works for and designs Conglomerate large series of book covers. 1977














text: http://cargocollective.com/mswinnie/Timeline-for-Karel-Martens

Printed Karel Martens 50 was and in work of ways to show



publishes years of work. This started with geometric and kinetic constructions, later developped with the very material paper; more recently he has been making relief prints from found industrial artefacts. This book looks and discuss the work of a designer and artist. 1998





He Matter. for new





In 1998 at the Leipzig
Book Fair, Karel Martens:
Printed Matter was awar-
ded the gold medal, as
the best-designed book ‘in
the whole world’. Over the
years his books have fea-
tured regularly in the an-
nual Best-Designed Dutch
Books competition.
















the
New
Right
doing
tions of
Chicago.
noe
walker
Smithsonian
Art
Karel
Art Library and
York; Cooper
Artforum, the New
Design
free work and
now
Center,
He is included in the collec-
Min-
Muse-
Martens is
neapolis; Museum of Modern
institutions such as
Archives,
um; and the Art Institute of
Hewitt,
Design Observer, and others.
various exhibitions. Martens’
holds
work has been published in
Art in America, the Observer,
Yorker,



WERKPLAATS



The Werkplaats Typografie, a part of the ArtEZ University of the
Arts, is a two-year graphic design masters programme founded in
1998 by Karel Martens and Wigger Bierma. The WT is centered
on assignments and self-initiated projects with lectures, seminars,
meetings and readings geared towards self-accountable and
independently motivated work and research.
text & photo: Werkplaats Typografie online




Participants work in a studio which is Alongside more theoretical research, participants
accessible 24 hours a day. Werkplaats work on real assignments for external clients.
Typografie is directed by graphic designer With these assignments participants learn to
Armand Mevis. Regular teaching staff take on a leading role in the process of designing
includes Maria Barnas, Danny van den and realizing a final product. The WT programme
Dungen (Experimental Jetset), Constant roughly consists of three components: 1)
Dullaart, Paul Elliman, Bregtje van der Haak Presentations, individual and group critiques,
and Maxine Kopsa. Anniek Brattinga is workshops; 2) Practical assignments and 3)
responsible for the general co-ordination theoretical orientation in the form of research, TYPOGRAFIE
and management of the WT, and is assisted excursions and a final thesis. Assignments can
by office manager Liesbeth Doornbosch and be initiated by the WT, external clients, or by the
Ilke Gers. participants themselves.


Guests are regularly invited to visit the WT to Werkplaats Typografie
review work, give presentations or supervise Agnietenplaats 2 6822 JD Arnhem
workshops. The WT is often invited to take part www.werkplaatstypografie.org
in national and international festivals, events or
site specific projects. Part of the WT programme
is reserved for collaborating with external clients.


The WT programme stimulates and practises
critical reflection on the basis of a broad cultural
perspective, with theory playing a supporting role.
Participants engage in artistic research involving
content and form, text and image, theory and
practice, in relation to professional practice and
supervised by leading designers.

W R





O K








“I don’t have a premeditated plan when I’m ma-
king prints. It’s more of a reflection on what’s al-
ready there: The paper motivates me to do some-
thing, to react to what exists. In the case of this
new series, which has a lot of circles, I’m curious to
see them in combination with the background co-
lor of a found card or in relationship to the rhythm
of each card’s typewriter typography. My method
takes time: I print one color, then wait for at least
a day for the drying process; on the next day or
whenever, I react again to what there is now.”









“When I start printing every morning, very often I
need something to get the feel for things by going
from a known area to an unknown one. I often be-
gin with a print like this, which is overprinted per-
haps ten times in total. I cannot explain how I de-
cide what’s next, which is the pleasure of making
a print. This particular triangular combination is
one that Maharam made a textile out of. So even
though it’s an old form compositionally, in terms
of color, it’s always different and surprising for me.”








text & photo: The New York Times online - Karel Martens, The Dutch Master

“It’s a ‘specification card’ for income and expen-
diture. It makes me think of my father, who en- “With this one, I remember feeling, ‘It is not fi-
tered his costs into a similar ledger book every nished’ — and I liked the feeling. For me, both in
day. The card shows formal columns in combi- printing and in general, it’s an important thing to
nation with human handwriting. The print on stop at the right moment. I’m also reacting to the
it is very simple, just one metal shape repea- rhythm of typographical order, which I see as a
ted. I found that piece a while ago; it also has a kind of concrete poetry. The typewriting on the
kind of ‘list’ character, but from a different wor- card is very formal. A human being once typed out
ld than what’s in the card itself. The print was this thing, which makes it look so dedicated and
motivated by my curiosity to see the two things necessary. For me, this typographic form is acti-
together.” vating my prints, and my prints place the text in
a different context. That gives it a unique expres-
sion.”



Counterprint
Karel Martens: Counterprint is the first publi-
cation devoted to Martens’s prints. Printed in a
limited edition of 2,000 and bound with folded,
uncut leaves -- like his best-selling design mo-
nograph Printed Matter -- Counterprint is more
than a book; it is an art object that will be valued
by artists, typographers, and graphic designers
for its extraordinary content and high-quality pro-
duction and design.

Reprint: Karel Martens
This book is published on the occasion of an
exhibition of work by Dutch designer Karel Mar-
tens at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague.
Besides offering a closer look at his free work,
it also covers his approach to the teaching of
graphic design. Comprising a selection of both
past work and more recent applied work, it also
includes new essays by David Bennewith, who
examines Martens’ approach to teaching through
its history and accounts from students.


Printed Matter
Upon publication in 1996, printed matter was
labeled an instant classic in the world of design
publishing. This beautifully designed visual sur-
vey of the career of Dutch graphic designer Karel
Martens is a tactile distillation of Martens’s uni-
que and personal approach to design. Projects
ranging from postage stamps to books to signs
on buildings are arranged in layouts that fully ex-
plore the print process. The first edition of printed
matter rapidly sold out along with a second editi-
on published in 2001.

€ 14,95