Celebrations in Amsterdam

Today, July 3rd, marks the beginning of the 'Lustrumviering' (the 75 year jubilee) of the Amsterdam Old Course. This is a golf club that is wedged between railroad tracks, modern buildings and the Amsterdam Arena Football Stadium. The club is active since 1935 and not even the war could break the spirit of the members. It has been tried, though, by dropping a bomb almost on top of Tee 1 (transforming that spot into a huge bomb crater) and the digging of an anti-tank ditch by the German forces. This had a length of 1¾ miles, was some 40 feet wide and had a depth of 19 feet. And all that straight through the course.


Club member and graphics designer Lucy Prijs discovered the font Mokum Stad on the internet and decided that had the right character for this special occasion. The clubhouse was designed by architect F.A. Warners who has had a distinct influence on the housing in Amsterdam.


He was very fond of the concept of apartment buildings, the precursors to modern skyscrapers. He was one of the proponents of the Amsterdam School. He designed - among many other objects - the Atlanta Building and the Oldenhoeck complex. The latter is one of the finest examples of the mid-period of the Amsterdam School.


Yesterday (on the hottest day of the year so far) I got a sneak preview of how the font is used by the club. Score cards, invitations and even golf balls are adorned by the font. I'm holding one of them (topmost image), showing the usage of the font.

Practical application of the fonts (6)

Publishing house Ginkgo from Leyden, The Netherlands, just came out with a book called "Kijken naar Gebouwen", translated "Looking at Buildings". A great overview of the architecture in the southern part of Amsterdam. My font Mokum Tooneel was chosen as the font for the cover. And yes, I am pleased and honored.


Opening the book I got a nice surprise in the form of an architectural drawing for the Amsterdam Lyceum, a school that was built between 1918 and 1920. The architect was H.A.J. Baanders. The lettering on the drawing is - in my opinion - awesome, and the next project is to reconstruct and digitize it.


Further information about the activities of Ginkgo Publishers may be found on their website.