Join the Mailing List

Membership

Graphic Design History from Design Reviewed
Total DesignWim Crouwel

Melle, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1972

,

Details

  • Format Exhibition Catalogue
  • Designer/s Wim Crouwel (Total Design)
  • Year 1972
  • Client/Publisher Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
  • Size 210mm x 275mm
Wim Crouwel (Total Design)
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

Melle, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1972 designed by Wim Crouwel (Total Design)
Melle, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1972 designed by Wim Crouwel (Total Design)
More graphic design artefacts
Fodor 30, 1975 – Robin Deirkauf

From the graphic design archive:

Fodor 30, 1975 – Robin Deirkauf

  • Format: Exhibition Catalogue
  • Designer/s: Wim Crouwel and Daphne Duijvelshoff (Total Design)
  • Year: 1975
View Artefact
GKF : Hand en Machine, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, 1957

From the graphic design archive:

GKF : Hand en Machine, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, 1957

  • Format: Exhibition Catalogue
  • Designer/s: Willem Sandberg
  • Year: 1957
View Artefact
Agam, Stedelijk Museum, 1973

From the graphic design archive:

Agam, Stedelijk Museum, 1973

  • Format: Exhibition Catalogue
  • Designer/s: Wim Crouwel
  • Year: 1972
View Artefact
G. Rietveld Architect, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1972

From the graphic design archive:

G. Rietveld Architect, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1972

  • Format: Exhibition Catalogue
  • Designer/s: Wim Crouwel and Magda Tsfaty (Total Design)
  • Year: 1972
View Artefact

view more of the graphic design archive

More graphic design history articles
Dynamic Form. The 1960s Advertising Design of Wolfgang Bäumer

Advertising Design, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

Dynamic Form. The 1960s Advertising Design of Wolfgang Bäumer

Wolfgang Bäumer's advertising design for Bayer, Klöckner Works and the Lottery. His adaptable design aesthetic alongside his skills of convening messaging through visuals are fantastic examples of mid-century German graphic design.

Read Article
Herbert Bossin and his Typographic Compositions with Folio

Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Typography & Type Design

Herbert Bossin and his Typographic Compositions with Folio

The typographic supplement from Der Druckspiegel, October, 1961 features typographic compositions designed by Herbert Bossin. Bossin has solely used the typeface Folio, to illustrate its flexibility and versatility alongside imagery provided by Lothar Blanvalet Verlag.

Read Article
Jan Slothouber and William Graatsma’s Cubic Children’s Stamps of 1970.

Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

Jan Slothouber and William Graatsma’s Cubic Children’s Stamps of 1970.

The stamps for the 1970 editions were designed by Jan Slothouber and William Graatsma in collaboration with the Centre for Cubic Constructions (CCC) in Heerlen.  Every stamp displays a different corner point of the same block, highlighting eight distinct corner points, with four chosen for their unique identities.

Read Article