Join the Mailing List

Membership

Graphic Design History from Design Reviewed
Wim Crouwel - Dutch Graphic Designer

Claes Oldenburg, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1970

Information

Details

  • Format: Exhibition Catalogue
  • Designer/s: Wim Crouwel
  • Year: 1970
  • Client/Publisher: Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
  • Size: 210mm x 277mm
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.

Linked Information

Claes Oldenburg, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1970. Designed by Wim Crouwel
Claes Oldenburg, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1970. Designed by Wim Crouwel
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.
More graphic design artefacts
The B.B.C Year-Book, 1931. Cover design by Dora M. Batty
From the design archive:

The B.B.C Year-Book, 1931

  • Format: Book
  • Designer/s: Dora M. Batty
  • Year: 1921
View Artefact
Corporate Design Programs, Olle Eksell, 1967
From the design archive:

Corporate Design Programs, Olle Eksell, 1967

  • Format: Book
  • Designer/s: Olle Eksell
  • Year: 1967
View Artefact
Gebrauchsgraphik, 2, 1931. Cover design by Jean Carlu
From the design archive:

Gebrauchsgraphik, 2, 1931

  • Format: Magazine
  • Designer/s: Jean Carlu
  • Year: 1931
View Artefact
Idea 292, 2002-5. Cover design by Cyan
From the design archive:

Idea 292, 2002-5

  • Format: Magazine
  • Designer/s: Cyan
  • Year: 2002
View Artefact

view more of the graphic design archive

More graphic design history articles
Radici, Graphic Design from Hypertextuality to Hyperknowledge (Radici, La Grafica dall’Ipertestualità all’Iperconoscenza), 2021.
  • Designer Interview

Katia Pecoraro: The dualism between system and freedom, design and life.

"Talking about myself as a designer is something that requires a powerful dialogue with my life experiences. In a radical way, I apply an exercise in which design forms become projections of life, extensions of meaning that constantly involve senses."

Members Content

Nieuw Ensemble, Nieuw Ensemble 20 Jaar, Brochure, 2001. Designed by Jan Bons copy
  • Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content

Designing History: The Legacy of Jan Bons

This 1,500 word essay focused on the work of Jan Bons. One of the most prominent figures in Dutch design history. For over three-quarters of a century, he crafted a mass of work with many long-time collaborators.

Members Content

Gebrauchsgraphik, 11, 1958. Cover design by Günther Gluckert
  • Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content

The Magic and Work of Günther Glückert

Little is known about the talented designer Günther Glückert. Born during the 1930s, a period that proved less than conducive to nurturing youthful artistic endeavours, did not halt Glückert's path of becoming a talented designer.
Publicity for Higher Education in the USA by J. J. De Lucio-Meyer
  • Design Outlook

Publicity for Higher Education in the USA by J. J. De Lucio-Meyer

The first American university to accept graphic designers as members of the faculty was the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, called M. I. T, for short. The work created by the design group reflects the high level of instruction, the realistic setting of the training and the progressive philosophy of this institute.