Fred Smeijers
Encyclopedia
Fred Smeijers is a Dutch
graphic
, type designer and writer
. He studied at the ArtEZ Hogeschool voor de Kunsten in Arnhem
in the early 1980s.
- a Dutch manufacturer of printing
and copying hardware. Between 1986 and 1990, he worked at the Océ
's industrial design
department as a typographic
advisor, designing typeface
s for early laser printer
s. In the mid-80s Smeijers started to develop an interest in the early 16th century technique of punchcutting
. The insights he acquired from these experiments influence the way he designs typefaces. This is the most apparent in his typeface FF Quadraat, a classic book typeface with interesting details. Other Smeijers' retail typefaces are FF Quadraat Sans and FF Quadraat Mono (FSI FontShop International
), Renard (The Enschedé Font Foundry), Nobel (co-designed with Andrea Fuchs for Dutch Type Library), Arnhem, Fresco, Custodia, Sansa, Monitor, and Ludwig (OurType) - the foundry he set-up with Rudy Geeraerts in 2002. Smeijers has also designed custom typefaces and iconic logos for Philips
, Canon-Europe and TomTom
, among others. Smeijers is a research fellow at Plantin Moretus Museum in Antwerp, Professor
of Type Design at the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst, Leipzig
and at the Royal Academy of Arts, The Hague
.
In 2000 he received the prestigious Gerrit Noordzij Prize
, awarded by The Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague
to honor innovations in type design and outstanding contribution to type education.
Smeijers is the creative director of OurType and author of Counterpunch and Type Now for Hyphen Press, London
.
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
graphic
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...
, type designer and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
. He studied at the ArtEZ Hogeschool voor de Kunsten 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...
in the early 1980s.
Work
After his graduation, Smeijers worked for OcéOcé
Océ N.V. is a Netherlands-based company that develops, manufactures and sells printing and copying hardware and related software. The offering includes office printing and copying systems; production printers and wide format printing systems for both technical documentation and color display...
- a Dutch manufacturer of printing
Computer printer
In computing, a printer is a peripheral which produces a text or graphics of documents stored in electronic form, usually on physical print media such as paper or transparencies. Many printers are primarily used as local peripherals, and are attached by a printer cable or, in most new printers, a...
and copying hardware. Between 1986 and 1990, he worked at the Océ
Océ
Océ N.V. is a Netherlands-based company that develops, manufactures and sells printing and copying hardware and related software. The offering includes office printing and copying systems; production printers and wide format printing systems for both technical documentation and color display...
's industrial design
Industrial design
Industrial design is the use of a combination of applied art and applied science to improve the aesthetics, ergonomics, and usability of a product, but it may also be used to improve the product's marketability and production...
department as a typographic
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...
advisor, designing typeface
Typeface
In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
s for early laser printer
Laser printer
A laser printer is a common type of computer printer that rapidly produces high quality text and graphics on plain paper. As with digital photocopiers and multifunction printers , laser printers employ a xerographic printing process, but differ from analog photocopiers in that the image is produced...
s. In the mid-80s Smeijers started to develop an interest in the early 16th century technique of punchcutting
Punchcutting
In traditional typography, punchcutting is the craft of cutting letter punches in steel from which matrices were made in copper for type founding in the letterpress era. Cutting punches and casting type was the first step of traditional typesetting. The cutting of letter punches was a highly...
. The insights he acquired from these experiments influence the way he designs typefaces. This is the most apparent in his typeface FF Quadraat, a classic book typeface with interesting details. Other Smeijers' retail typefaces are FF Quadraat Sans and FF Quadraat Mono (FSI FontShop International
FSI FontShop International
FSI FontShop International is an international manufacturer of digital typefaces , based in Berlin and one of the large type foundries that exist today.All the typefaces are published as part of the FontFont library...
), Renard (The Enschedé Font Foundry), Nobel (co-designed with Andrea Fuchs for Dutch Type Library), Arnhem, Fresco, Custodia, Sansa, Monitor, and Ludwig (OurType) - the foundry he set-up with Rudy Geeraerts in 2002. Smeijers has also designed custom typefaces and iconic logos for Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
, Canon-Europe and TomTom
TomTom
TomTom NV is a Dutch manufacturer of automotive navigation systems, including both stand-alone units and software for personal digital assistants and mobile telephones. It is the leading manufacturer of navigation systems in Europe. TomTom's customer service is located in Amsterdam, Netherlands...
, among others. Smeijers is a research fellow at Plantin Moretus Museum in Antwerp, Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Type Design at the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst, Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
and at the Royal Academy of Arts, The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
.
In 2000 he received the prestigious Gerrit Noordzij Prize
Gerrit Noordzij Prize
The Gerrit Noordzij Prize is given to type designers and typographers for extraordinary contributions to the fields of type design, typography and type education. The prize is awarded every three years by the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague together with the Museum Meermanno, under the auspices...
, awarded by The Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
to honor innovations in type design and outstanding contribution to type education.
Smeijers is the creative director of OurType and author of Counterpunch and Type Now for Hyphen Press, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.