A founding masterpiece of modern typography reprinted for the first time

NKF: Piet Zwart’s avant-garde catalogue for Standard Cables (1927-1928)

The fabulous Letterform Archive in San Francisco recently published the first-ever facsimile of this modernist masterpiece. Dutch designer Piet Zwart’s bold layouts, photomontage and playful typography transformed a humble cable catalogue into a landmark of the New Typography movement.⁠

Widely regarded as one of the twentieth century’s most ambitious designers, Piet Zwart helped rewrite the rules of modern typography. His best-known work, an 80-page catalog for the electrical cable manufacturer Nederlandse Kabelfabriek Delft (NKF), is a remarkable case study in visual communication combining razor-sharp photos, playful type compositions, expressive montages, and bold fields of color to transform the humble cable into a subject for experimental graphic design.

Received in avant-garde circles as a model of modernist New Typography, the catalog remains a sought-after touchstone of art and design history. This first-ever facsimile of Zwart’s NKF catalog reproduces the complete book with exacting details and in its original format. An accompanying critical supplement includes fascinating essays by design scholars Philip B. Meggs and Paul Stirton, a rich selection of rarely seen projects from Zwart’s decade-long relationship with NKF, and a translation of Zwart’s original manifesto.

Available now from letterformarchive.org/shop/nkf-piet-zwarts

Piet Zwart, Philip B. Meggs (Contributor), Paul Stirton (Contributor)
NKF: Piet Zwart’s Avant-Garde Catalog for Standard Cables, 1927–1928
$60.00
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