Ontwerp voor een briefhoofd van Motshagens handel in apotheek- en drogisterijbenodigdheden by Reinier Willem Petrus de (1874-1952) Vries

Ontwerp voor een briefhoofd van Motshagens handel in apotheek- en drogisterijbenodigdheden

1884 - 1952

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Artwork details

Medium
graphic-art, typography, poster
Dimensions
height 41 mm, width 200 mm
Copyright
Rijks Museum: Open Domain

Tags

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graphic-art

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script typography

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hand-lettering

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small typography

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hand drawn type

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hand lettering

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typography

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hand-drawn typeface

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fading type

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thick font

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typography style

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poster

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small lettering

About this artwork

This "Ontwerp voor een briefhoofd van Motshagens handel in apotheek- en drogisterijbenodigdheden", or design for a letterhead for Motshagen's pharmacy and drugstore supply business, was made by Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries. I see it as a concentrated shot of utilitarian design, squeezed onto a small rectangle. Look closely at how the dense, black typography fights with the limited space, creating a kind of visual tension. The words are so close together that the letters almost blur. There’s a real sense of immediacy here. You can almost feel the designer wrestling with the constraints of the commission, trying to cram as much information as possible into a tiny format. It reminds me of some of Ed Ruscha's word paintings. Both artists share a fascination with the graphic potential of everyday language. This piece is a reminder that art and design are always in conversation, influencing each other in unexpected ways. It’s not about perfection, but about the messy, human process of making something work.

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