Gridnik is a

geometrical Geometry (; ) is a branch of mathematics concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. Geometry is, along with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. A mathematician w ...

sans serif In typography and lettering, a sans-serif, sans serif (), gothic, or simply sans letterform is one that does not have extending features called "serifs" at the end of strokes. Sans-serif typefaces tend to have less stroke width variation than ...

typeface A typeface (or font family) is a design of Letter (alphabet), letters, Numerical digit, numbers and other symbols, to be used in printing or for electronic display. Most typefaces include variations in size (e.g., 24 point), weight (e.g., light, ...

graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art that involves creating visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdisciplinary branch of ...

Wim Crouwel Willem Hendrik "Wim" Crouwel (; 21 November 1928 – 19 September 2019) was a Dutch graphic designer, type designer, and typographer. Early life and education Between 1947 and 1949, he studied Fine Arts at Academie Minerva in Groningen, the ...

in 1974. It is the digital version of the typewriter typeface ''Olivetti Politene''.

History

Around 1974, Crouwel was commissioned by

typewriter A typewriter is a Machine, mechanical or electromechanical machine for typing characters. Typically, a typewriter has an array of Button (control), keys, and each one causes a different single character to be produced on paper by striking an i ...

manufacturer

Olivetti Olivetti S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of computers, tablets, smartphones, printers and other such business products as calculators and fax machines. Headquartered in Ivrea, in the Metropolitan City of Turin, the company has been owned b ...

to design a

for their new electric typewriters. The result was a

monoline (all lines are of equal thickness) typeface. Olivetti called it ''Politene''. All characters are based on a square grid, with the 45-degree corners. Before Crouwel could finish the design, the interest for electric typewriters declined, so much so that they did not need the type design anymore. As a consequence, the

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...

s of the design went back to Crouwel. At the same time they commissioned Crouwel, they asked

Josef Müller-Brockmann Josef Müller-Brockmann (9 May 1914 – 30 August 1996) was a Swiss graphic designer, author, and educator, he was a Principal at Muller-Brockmann & Co. design firm. He was a pioneer of the International Typographic Style. One of the main master ...

to design a typeface as well.

Number Postage Stamps

The most notable use of Gridnik was on a series of Number Postage Stamps for the Dutch PTT, designed in the same period as the Olivetti commission. He drew a special version of ''Politene'', consisting of the word ''nederland'' and the numerals. These stamps were in circulation from 1976 to 2002.

Digital Gridnik

The digital version of Gridnik was digitized from the original drawings by the

type foundry A type foundry is a company that designs or distributes typefaces. Before digital typography, type foundries manufactured and sold metal and wood typefaces for hand typesetting, and matrices for line-casting machines like the Linotype and ...

''The Foundry'' in London. Originally, it only consisted of one font – as part of the '' 3 Crouwel'' collection – but it was later expanded with a light a medium and a bold. This version is called ''Foundry Gridnik''. The name ''Gridnik'' was chosen by The Foundry because of the nickname given to Crouwel by his friends, ''Mr. Gridnik'', for his frequent use of grids in his designs. Other typefaces in the '' 3 Crouwel'' collection are Fodor,

New Alphabet New Alphabet is a parametric typeface designed by Wim Crouwel, released in 1967. It embraced the limitations of the display technology that it was displayed on by only using horizontal and vertical strokes. This meant that some of the letters h ...

, Stedelijk and Catalogue.

Other typefaces by Crouwel

* Fodor *

References

External links

The more recent Foundry Gridnik on The Foundry

an

Sketches of Gridnik on NAGO.nl
Sketches and information about the number stamps
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830233056/http://www.iconenvandepost.nl/site2/icoon.php?id=6484657 , date=2021-08-30 Geometric sans-serif typefaces Typefaces designed by Wim Crouwel