Evert Bloemsma
Encyclopedia
Evert Bloemsma was a Dutch
type design
er and graphic design
er. In 1981 he graduated from the Hoogeschool voor de Kunsten (currently called ArtEZ
) in Arnhem
. He taught typography
at the Breda
academy AKV St. Joost and at ArtEZ.
internationally and 'functionalist' in The Netherlands). Because of this interest, it was no surprise that his first typeface was a sans serif. According to him, there was no place for serif
s in the era of new technologies. However, his interest did not go to the typefaces that were characteristic of the International Typographic Style, Univers
and Helvetica
. Instead, he admired more non-conformist work of designers like Roger Excoffon
, whose Antique Olive
especially caught his eye. This typeface has two unusual features that Bloemsma also incorporated into his own typeface called Balance: it is heavy at the top – sturdier at the top than at the base – and it has an 'inverted stress', the horizontal strokes are heavier than the vertical strokes. This 'inverted stress' has the function of leading the eye along the lines of text, in a similar way as serifs do in serif typefaces. Bloemsma tried to sell the first version of Balance to several different type foundries, like Berthold, Linotype and Monotype
. In 1986 he digitized the typeface with Ikarus M, a software system developed by his then employer URW in Hamburg
. In 1992, the PostScript
version of the typeface was finished and published as part of the FontFont library (FSI FontShop International) as FF Balance.
For his second typeface, FF Cocon, he set out to eliminate every trace of handwriting, as he saw that even Helvetica and Univers contain traces of writing in their stems and terminals. Bloemsma soon realised that removing these elements was more complicated than he expected, as the results often looked unconvincing and unnatural. Finally, he allowed a calligraphic
element into the typeface; he gave the terminals of the stems and extenders an asymmetric rounding. He thought that this treatment also had a practical function, similar to that of FF Balance's top-heavy letterforms; leading the eye forward along the line of text. His third typeface, FF Avance, was quite a step for Bloemsma, as it was a serif typeface. He realised that serifs could help a typeface read more easily and thus enhance functionality. In this way, FF Avance was another effort into creating a typeface that leads the eye in a forward direction, this time realised by sturdy serifs that point to the left at the top, and to the right at the base of the characters. His last typeface, FF Legato, is an examination of the traditional notion of diagonal contrast or stress, in this case removing the connection of writing with a broad-nib pen. In effect, Bloemsma made the shapes of the counter
s almost contradict the outside curves, resulting in more interesting and lively letterforms. All of Bloemsma's typefaces are constructed from curved forms – none of the lines are straight – which can be seen as a tribute to his teacher Jan Vermeulen, whose adage ‘a straight line is a dead line’ has been a guideline for Bloemsma throughout his type design career.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
type design
Type design
Type design is the art of designing typefaces.- History :Although the technology of printing text using movable type was invented in China, and despite the esteem which calligraphy held in that civilization, the vast number of Chinese characters meant that few distinctive, complete fonts could be...
er and graphic design
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
er. In 1981 he graduated from the Hoogeschool voor de Kunsten (currently called ArtEZ
Artez
Artez Institute of the Arts is a Dutch vocational university with branches in Arnhem, Enschede, and Zwolle. Artez is officially styled as ArtEZ with the A representing Arnhem, E for Enschede, and Z for Zwolle...
) in Arnhem
Arnhem
Arnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
. He taught typography
Typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading , adjusting the spaces between groups of letters and adjusting the space between pairs of letters...
at the Breda
Breda
Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...
academy AKV St. Joost and at ArtEZ.
Work
During his time in Arnhem, Bloemsma became fascinated by 'Swiss typography' (which is also referred to as the International Typographic StyleInternational Typographic Style
The International Typographic Style, also known as the Swiss Style, is a graphic design style developed in Switzerland in the 1950s that emphasizes cleanliness, readability and objectivity. Hallmarks of the style are asymmetric layouts, use of a grid, sans-serif typefaces like Akzidenz Grotesk, and...
internationally and 'functionalist' in The Netherlands). Because of this interest, it was no surprise that his first typeface was a sans serif. According to him, there was no place for serif
Serif
In typography, serifs are semi-structural details on the ends of some of the strokes that make up letters and symbols. A typeface with serifs is called a serif typeface . A typeface without serifs is called sans serif or sans-serif, from the French sans, meaning “without”...
s in the era of new technologies. However, his interest did not go to the typefaces that were characteristic of the International Typographic Style, Univers
Univers
Univers is the name of a realist sans-serif typeface designed by Adrian Frutiger in 1954.Originally conceived and released by Deberny & Peignot in 1957, the type library was acquired in 1972 by Haas. Haas'sche Schriftgiesserei was later folded into the D...
and Helvetica
Helvetica
Helvetica is a widely used sans-serif typeface developed in 1957 by Swiss typeface designer Max Miedinger with Eduard Hoffmann.-Visual distinctive characteristics:Characteristics of this typeface are:lower case:square dot over the letter i....
. Instead, he admired more non-conformist work of designers like Roger Excoffon
Roger Excoffon
Roger Excoffon , French typeface designer and graphic designer.Excoffon was born in Marseilles, studied law at the University of Aix-en-Provence, and after, moved to Paris to apprentice in a print shop. In 1947 he formed his own advertising agency and concurrently became design director of a small...
, whose Antique Olive
Antique Olive
Despite being named "antique" , Antique Olive is actually a Geometric Sans-serif typeface along the lines of Univers or Helvetica. It was designed in the early 1960s by French typographer Roger Excoffon, an art director and former consultant to the Marsille based Fonderie Olive...
especially caught his eye. This typeface has two unusual features that Bloemsma also incorporated into his own typeface called Balance: it is heavy at the top – sturdier at the top than at the base – and it has an 'inverted stress', the horizontal strokes are heavier than the vertical strokes. This 'inverted stress' has the function of leading the eye along the lines of text, in a similar way as serifs do in serif typefaces. Bloemsma tried to sell the first version of Balance to several different type foundries, like Berthold, Linotype and Monotype
Monotype Corporation
Monotype Imaging Holdings is a Delaware corporation based in Woburn, Massachusetts and specializing in typesetting and typeface design as well as text and imaging solutions for use with consumer electronics devices. Monotype Imaging Holdings is the owner of Monotype Imaging Inc., Linotype,...
. In 1986 he digitized the typeface with Ikarus M, a software system developed by his then employer URW in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. In 1992, the PostScript
PostScript
PostScript is a dynamically typed concatenative programming language created by John Warnock and Charles Geschke in 1982. It is best known for its use as a page description language in the electronic and desktop publishing areas. Adobe PostScript 3 is also the worldwide printing and imaging...
version of the typeface was finished and published as part of the FontFont library (FSI FontShop International) as FF Balance.
For his second typeface, FF Cocon, he set out to eliminate every trace of handwriting, as he saw that even Helvetica and Univers contain traces of writing in their stems and terminals. Bloemsma soon realised that removing these elements was more complicated than he expected, as the results often looked unconvincing and unnatural. Finally, he allowed a calligraphic
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
element into the typeface; he gave the terminals of the stems and extenders an asymmetric rounding. He thought that this treatment also had a practical function, similar to that of FF Balance's top-heavy letterforms; leading the eye forward along the line of text. His third typeface, FF Avance, was quite a step for Bloemsma, as it was a serif typeface. He realised that serifs could help a typeface read more easily and thus enhance functionality. In this way, FF Avance was another effort into creating a typeface that leads the eye in a forward direction, this time realised by sturdy serifs that point to the left at the top, and to the right at the base of the characters. His last typeface, FF Legato, is an examination of the traditional notion of diagonal contrast or stress, in this case removing the connection of writing with a broad-nib pen. In effect, Bloemsma made the shapes of the counter
Counter (typography)
In typography, a counter or aperture is an area entirely or partially enclosed by a letter form or a symbol . Letters containing closed counters include A, B, D, O, P, Q, R, a, b, d, e, g, o, p, and q. Letters containing open counters include c, f, h, i, s etc. The digits 0, 4, 6, 8, and 9 also...
s almost contradict the outside curves, resulting in more interesting and lively letterforms. All of Bloemsma's typefaces are constructed from curved forms – none of the lines are straight – which can be seen as a tribute to his teacher Jan Vermeulen, whose adage ‘a straight line is a dead line’ has been a guideline for Bloemsma throughout his type design career.