Born in 1928, Dutch designer Wim Crouwel became a major figure in contemporary graphic design during the 20th century, with his influence extending well beyond borders of the Netherlands.

Over the course of his career, he carried out work across typography, visual identities, posters, book design, and scenography, in turn influencing the history of the discipline through his extensive practice.

Crouwel, who was perhaps best known as the founder of Total Design and for his work with Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum over the course of more than two decades, passed away in 2019 aged 90.

But the designer’s legacy lives in the cultural history books, including his own tome, Wim Crouwel: Architectures Typographiques, 1956-1976, which was published to coincide with an exhibition of the same name at Paris’ Galerie Anatome in 2007.

Over a decade on, the classic title has been reissued by French publisher Éditions B42. Laid out by Experimental Jetset, the book features texts by art historian Catherine de Smet, graphic design lecturer Emmanuel Berard and Crouwel himself.

The book focuses on the layout of the catalogues the designers made for museums such as the Stedelijk Museum, as well as the genesis and presentation of the New Alphabet, which Crouwel created between 1964 and 1967.

Above all, it’s an illuminating look inside the mind of one of the 20th century’s great designers and the sheer diversity of his practice.

Typographic Architectures is published by Éditions B42; editions-b42.com