Designer: Willem Sandberg

Willem Sandberg - Dutch Designer and Illustrator

Willem Jacob Henri Berend Sandberg, commonly known as Willem Sandberg, was born in 1897 in Amersfoort, Netherlands. In 1945, Sandberg became the director of the Stedelijk Museum, where he was responsible for artists and art forms, designing many of the museum’s catalogues, posters, and exhibitions using his typographic experiments. He designed around 380 posters and over 250 catalogues and also collaborated with other designers, including Otto Treumann and Dick Elffers.

Explore related designers including Wim Crouwel and Dick Elffers. See also Dutch Modernism, Dutch graphic design history, and 1940s graphic design history.

Articles Featuring the Work of Willem Sandberg

Membership from £2.49/month unlocks articles researched and inspired by the artefacts in the collection.

Become a member →

Members Content

Each year, leading Dutch artists were commissioned to design the covers and inner pages of Drukkersweekblad en Autolijn. Including designers included Dick Elffers, Willem Sandberg, Jan van Toorn, Wim Crouwel, and Jurriaan Schrofer. The journal documented important design trends and developments in The Netherlands.

Members Content

This 1,500 word essay is about the life and work of Willem Sandberg and is illustrated with part of my collection of over 100 pieces of Sandberg’s work, including books, Stedelijk Museum catalogues, and various individual printed items.

Artefacts Featuring the Work of Willem Sandberg

Federatie van kunstenaarsverenigingen – verslag 77 plannen 78, 1978

From the graphic design archive:

Federatie van kunstenaarsverenigingen – verslag 77 plannen 78, 1978

  • Format: Report
  • Designer/s: Willem Sandberg
  • Year: 1978
Beelden voor het Hildebrand Monument door Prof. Bronner, Stedelijk Museum, 1948

From the graphic design archive:

Beelden voor het Hildebrand Monument door Prof. Bronner, Stedelijk Museum, 1948

  • Format: Exhibition Catalogue
  • Designer/s: Willem Sandberg
  • Year: 1948
Nu, Steendrukkerij de Jong & Co, 1959

From the graphic design archive:

Nu, Steendrukkerij de Jong & Co, 1959

  • Format: Book
  • Designer/s: Willem Sandberg
  • Year: 1959
Grieshaber, Der Betroffene Zeitgenosse, Hatje Cantz, 1978

From the graphic design archive:

Grieshaber, Der Betroffene Zeitgenosse, Hatje Cantz, 1978

  • Format: Book
  • Designer/s: HAP Grieshaber. Willem Sandberg
  • Year: 1978
Sandberg Experimenta Typographica 1943-68 Text Bibeb, Koninklijke Drukkerij, 1969

From the graphic design archive:

Sandberg Experimenta Typographica 1943-68 Text Bibeb, Koninklijke Drukkerij, 1969

  • Format: Book
  • Designer/s: Willem Sandberg
  • Year: 1969
Nu 2. Maintenant 2. Now 2. Jetzt 2., Steendrukkerij de Jong & Co, 1967

From the graphic design archive:

Nu 2. Maintenant 2. Now 2. Jetzt 2., Steendrukkerij de Jong & Co, 1967

  • Format: Book
  • Designer/s: Willem Sandberg
  • Year: 1967
Koptische weefsels, Stedelijk Museum, 1960

From the graphic design archive:

Koptische weefsels, Stedelijk Museum, 1960

  • Format: Exhibition Catalogue
  • Designer/s: Willem Sandberg
  • Year: 1960
Nele Renee Bode / Vrolijke vrouwentooi, Stedelijk Museum, 1956

From the graphic design archive:

Nele Renee Bode / Vrolijke vrouwentooi, Stedelijk Museum, 1956

  • Format: Exhibition Catalogue
  • Designer/s: Willem Sandberg
  • Year: 1956
Open de Musea, Centraal Museum, Utrecht, 1973

From the graphic design archive:

Open de Musea, Centraal Museum, Utrecht, 1973

  • Format: Exhibition Catalogue
  • Designer/s: Willem Sandberg
  • Year: 1973
Mortensen, Stedelijk Museum, 1955

From the graphic design archive:

Mortensen, Stedelijk Museum, 1955

  • Format: Exhibition Catalogue
  • Designer/s: Willem Sandberg
  • Year: 1955
H.N. Werkman, Stedelijk Museum, 1945

From the graphic design archive:

H.N. Werkman, Stedelijk Museum, 1945

  • Format: Exhibition Catalogue
  • Designer/s: Willem Sandberg
  • Year: 1945
Johannes Itten, Stedelijk Museum, 1957

From the graphic design archive:

Johannes Itten, Stedelijk Museum, 1957

  • Format: Exhibition Catalogue
  • Designer/s: Willem Sandberg
  • Year: 1957

More from Design Reviewed

130 Kantō, Chūbu and Tōhoku Lottery Tickets, 1966 – 1971

Regional Histories, Ephemera, Illustration, Members Only Content

130 Kantō, Chūbu and Tōhoku Lottery Tickets, 1966 – 1971

A collected visual record of the Kanto, Chubu and Tohoku Lottery tickets.

Read Article
April Greiman and her Hybrid Imagery

Designer Profiles, Members Only Content, Movements

April Greiman and her Hybrid Imagery

April Greiman is known for her experimental approach to graphic design,  her role in the development of Californian New Wave and being one of the first designers to fully embrace the computer in her work.

Read Article
84 Tickets from the Rural Medical Care Promotion Lottery, Japan, 1974–82

Illustration, Ephemera, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

84 Tickets from the Rural Medical Care Promotion Lottery, Japan, 1974–82

A collected visual record of the first eight years of Japan’s Rural Medical Care Promotion Lottery.

Read Article