Knud Valdemar Engelhardt (11 February 1882 – 15 April 1931) was

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

's first industrial designer. Influenced by the architect

Thorvald Bindesbøll Thorvald Bindesbøll (21 July 1846 – 27 August 1908) was a Denmark, Danish National romantic architect, sculptor and ornamental artist. He designed the Dragon Fountain, Copenhagen (''Dragespringvandet'') and is perhaps best known as the cre ...

, Engelhardt understood that successful production depended on both an industrial and a graphical approach. The font he developed for

Gentofte Gentofte () is a district of Gentofte Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. Major landmarks include Gentofte Town Hall, Gentofte Hospital and Gentofte Church. Gentofte Lake with surrounding parkland and nature reserves form ...

's road signs is sensitive and personal but also eminently readable. From 1908 to 1910, he designed electric trams for Copenhagen with intricate detail. The vehicles were functional and cleanable in all weathers, and were well manufactured. Although Engelhardt was an architect, he also exerted a considerable influence on the development of Danish billboards. His printed posters always conveyed clear messages, enhanced by the accompanying text.

Early life

After matriculating from the Technical School, Engelhardt spent three semesters at the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts () has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Danish Academy of Portraiture, Sculpture, and Architecture in Cope ...

until 1911 when he decided to transfer to the Decorating School where he was instructed by

Joakim Skovgaard Joakim Frederik Skovgaard (18 November 1856 – 9 March 1933) was a Danish painter. He is remembered above all for the frescos which decorate Viborg Cathedral. Biography Born in Copenhagen, from an early age he was trained in drawing and paintin ...

, graduating in 1915."Knud V. Engelhardt"
''Dansk Biografisk Leksikon''. Retrieved 22 January 2013. He had already opened his own studio in 1909.Erik Ellegaard Frederiksen, "Knud V. Engelhardt"
''Kunstindeks Danmark & Weilbachs kunstnerleksikon''. Retrieved 22 January 2013.

Career

As early as 1907, Engelhardt published his contribution on the kilometer stone which was to replace the milestone, suggesting the use of curbstones which were being replaced by paving flags. The smooth side could be engraved with red-painted Roman figures, marking each kilometer. While still at the Academy, he designed new

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

cars for Copenhagen Tramways (''Københavns Sporvogne''), replacing the usual rectangular profiles with rounded contours both inside and out so as to provide a more human look for passengers."Knud V. Engelhardts livsværk"
, Skoletjenesten Kunstindustrimuseet. Retrieved 22 January 2013. Recognized for his typographical talents, in 1923, Engelhardt was invited to design street signs for the Copenhagen suburb of Gentofte. Inspired to some extent by the lettering designed by

and

Anton Rosen Anton Rosen (13 September 1859 – 2 July 1928) was a Danish architect, furniture designer, decorative artist and professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. In his architecture, he combined a free Historicist style with inspirati ...

, he proposed a more simplified style with increased spacing between the letters. The breadth of the letters varied considerably, M and W being much wider than O, for example. His work was so successful that his lettering can still be seen on Gentofte's signs today. They can be clearly identified as Engelhardt's as, in lieu of a signature, he replaced the dot on the J (present on most signs as ''vej'' means road) with a little heart."Danish Typographic Style"
Theo Rosendorf. The Type Desk. 13 February 2014. Also in 1923, he designed billboards for Gentofte. He soon became recognized for his fine lettering in a wide variety of forms and applications, including printing and logos. He practiced in many other fields including architecture (with a house innovatively designed at Højen near

Skagen Skagen () is the northernmost town in Denmark, on the east coast of the Skagen Odde peninsula in the far north of Jutland, part of Frederikshavn Municipality in North Denmark Region, Nordjylland, north of Frederikshavn and northeast of Aalbo ...

), oven manufacture (for H. Rasmussen,

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...

), and the development of functional lines for Bindesbøll.

Assessment and awards

More than anyone else, Engelhardt paved the way for a Danish approach to design and industrial production. He was awarded the

Eckersberg Medal The Eckersberg Medal (originally the ''Akademiets Aarsmedaille'' or Annual Academy Medal) is an annual award of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. It is named after Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, known as the father of Danish painting. The ...

in 1927.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Engelhardt, Knud Valdemar Danish architects Danish designers 1882 births 1931 deaths Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni People from Copenhagen Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal