Dutch photographer, typographer, industrial designer and critic Piet Zwart was born 28 may 1885 in Zaandijk, the Netherlands.
From 1902 till 1907 he attended the School of Applied Arts in Amsterdam where there was little division between several disciplines as drawing, painting, architecture and applied arts. He was introduced to the principles of the English Arts and Crafts movement, which was extremely popular in the early 1900′s in the Netherlands.
Piet Zwart’s career in graphic design was launched in 1919 when he started as a draftsman for the architect Jan Wils, who was a member of the De Stijl-group. Two years later he became assistant of the influential Dutch architect H.P. Berlage, whom he would work with for several years.
Though he was formally trained as an architect, Piet Zwart is mainly known for his graphic design work. At the age of 36 Zwart produced his first typographic work when asked to design stationery for Wils’ office. This work clearly echoed the title lettering for the De Stijl periodical.
Read more about his works.
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