Join the Mailing List

Membership

Graphic Design History from Design Reviewed
Arlette BrouwersTotal DesignWim Crouwel

80 jaar Wohnen in het Stedelijk, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1981

, ,

Details

  • Format Exhibition Catalogue
  • Designer/s Wim Crouwel and Arlette Brouwers (Total Design)
  • Year 1981
  • Client/Publisher Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
  • Size 210mm x 275mm
Wim Crouwel and Arlette Brouwers (Total Design)
Arlette Brouwers is a Dutch graphic designer active in the mid-to-late twentieth century. Her work reflects the strong typographic and visual communication tradition of Dutch postwar design, and she was among the designers who contributed to the distinctive character of Dutch graphic design culture in the 1960s and 70s. Explore related designers including Josje Pollmann and Wim Crouwel. See also Dutch Modernism, Dutch graphic design history, and 1960s graphic design history.

Total Design was founded in Amsterdam in 1963 by Wim Crouwel, Friso Kramer, Benno Wissing, and Paul and Dick Schwarz and was the first large-scale multidisciplinary design consultancy in the Netherlands. Under Crouwel's creative direction the studio developed a rigorous systematic approach rooted in grid systems and neutral typography. Its long-running relationship with the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam produced catalogues, posters, and exhibition graphics that remain among the most influential bodies of institutional design in postwar Europe. Other major clients included the Dutch Post Office and Schiphol airport. The practice continues today as Total Identity. Explore designers associated with Total Design including Wim Crouwel, Jurriaan Schrofer, and Benno Wissing. See also Dutch Modernism, Dutch graphic design history, and 1960s graphic design history.
Willem Hendrik Crouwel was born in 1928 in Groningen, Netherlands. He studied at the Academy of Arts and Crafts in Groningen and took evening classes at the Institute of Arts and Crafts, now the Rietveld Academy. His teacher, Charles Jongejans, was trained by notable Dutch designers Paul Schuitema and Gerard Kiljan. In 1952, Crouwel began his design career at Enderberg, designing exhibitions and trade stands, gaining valuable experience. After leaving Enderberg in 1956, he founded a studio with industrial designer Kho Liang Ie, working on various projects across design disciplines, including graphic and exhibition design. Influenced by mid-century Swiss typography, Crouwel explored letterforms and graphic systems, using fonts like Helvetica and Univers. His early clients included the Van Abbe Museum, where he designed catalogues and posters. In 1963, he co-founded the influential design agency Total Design and also started working for the Stedelijk Museum, collaborating with Edy de Wilde until 1986. Explore the Design Reviewed archive to discover artefacts connected to Wim Crouwel. The Dutch Modernism movement collection showcases the visual culture he helped define, while the Netherlands archive reflects the broader design scene he worked within. Browse the 1960s and 1970s decade pages to see the period in which his most influential work was produced, or explore the poster format collection to find work that shares his commitment to grid-based typographic clarity.

Linked Information

80 jaar Wohnen in het Stedelijk, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1981 designed by Wim Crouwel and Arlette Brouwers(Total Design)
80 jaar Wohnen in het Stedelijk, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1981 designed by Wim Crouwel and Arlette Brouwers (Total Design)
80 jaar Wohnen in het Stedelijk, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1981 designed by Wim Crouwel and Arlette Brouwers (Total Design)
80 jaar Wohnen in het Stedelijk, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1981 designed by Wim Crouwel and Arlette Brouwers (Total Design)
More graphic design artefacts
Johannes Itten, Stedelijk Museum, 1957

From the graphic design archive:

Johannes Itten, Stedelijk Museum, 1957

  • Format: Exhibition Catalogue
  • Designer/s: Willem Sandberg
  • Year: 1957
View Artefact
Fons Brasser, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1980

From the graphic design archive:

Fons Brasser, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1980

  • Format: Exhibition Catalogue
  • Designer/s: Fons Brasser, Ad Petersen
  • Year: 1980
View Artefact
Fodor 17, 1974 – Kees Otten

From the graphic design archive:

Fodor 17, 1974 – Kees Otten

  • Format: Exhibition Catalogue
  • Designer/s: Wim Crouwel and Daphne Duijvelshoff (Total Design)
  • Year: 1974
View Artefact
De 8 en Opbouw, 10e jaargang No 03, 4 February 1939

From the graphic design archive:

De 8 en Opbouw, 10e jaargang No 03, 4 February 1939

  • Format: Magazine
  • Designer/s: Paul Schuitema
  • Year: 1939
View Artefact

view more of the graphic design archive

More graphic design history articles
Stephan Kantscheff (Kanschev) – A Bulgarian Master of Illustration

Design Archive Feature, Designer Profiles, Illustration, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

Stephan Kantscheff (Kanschev) – A Bulgarian Master of Illustration

Stephan Kantscheff (Stephan Kanschev) was a Bulgarian artist born in Kaefer, Todental. His colourful palette and joyous, folk-esque illustrations won him many commissions and his work was celebrated for both its quality and social significance.

Read Article
Advertising a University Ball at St. Gallen, Switzerland, 1961

Advertising Design, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content

Advertising a University Ball at St. Gallen, Switzerland, 1961

Perusing an issue of Der Druckspiegel from 1962, I found these fantastic examples of Swiss Design, produced for the University Ball at the University in St. Gallen, Switzerland, in 1961. The advertising matter included posters, newspaper advertisements, cinema slides, invitation cards and a booklet. 

Read Article
Kazumasa Nagai. Japanese Graphic Designer | 1929

Design Archive Feature, Designer Profiles, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

Kazumasa Nagai. Japanese Graphic Designer | 1929

Kazumasa Nagai  (永井 一正) was born in 1929 in Osaka and is one of Japan's most acclaimed graphic designers. He designed iconic corporate logos for major companies such as Mitsubishi UFJ, Japan Railways, Nissin, and TEPCO and designed 100s of posters.

Read Article