Fraktur mon Amour
This declaration of love caused a minor sensation: A book bound
in black imitation leather, with a bright pink title and page
edges, full to bursting with exactly 300 Fraktur typefaces. A work
that is something between the Bible and an object of sexual desire,
the 27-year-old author, Judith Schalansky, talks to us about her
award-winning book and the surprising renaissance of the Fraktur
typeface that was falsely declared to be dead.
Ms. Schalansky, your book is provocative and fascinating. What were your reasons for creating a book like this about the Fraktur font?
Schalansky: I'm fascinated by ambivalent phenomena. And Fraktur is ambivalent. It's actually a dead font. No literary work today is still set in Fraktur. On the other hand, Fraktur is also very much alive again. It is amazing how often it is used for displays, on T-shirts, labels and flyers.
That must be the reason for your ironic portrayal - you wanted to show that the font which was reputed to be dead was in fact full of life.
Schalansky: Yes. The book intentionally plays on this ambivalence: On the one hand, you have the black leather in the classical axis design giving it a very dignified appearance. On the other hand, there is the bright pink and slushy title. Both break with the common view of Fraktur. Pink stands for femininity and lust, which provides a contrast to the masculine-martial idea that many associate with Fraktur. It was important to me to include both approaches. Of course I also wanted to cause a stir with the almost flippant combination of these two opposites - and I was even a bit shocked myself when I held the book in my hands for the first time.
What ignited your love of Fraktur?
Schalansky: When I was about 10 years old, I discovered an old Bible on my father's bedside table. I was enchanted by the book: the thin paper, the flexible cover, and then this old, strange lettering in it which seemed to me to be cryptographic. And then when I deciphered, "God created heaven and earth" - it was something really remarkable. The experience had a lasting effect on me and was one of the reasons why "Fraktur mon Amour" is, to a certain extent, like a Bible.
What role does Fraktur play in print and design today?
Schalansky: It is currently very much in fashion in advertising, for example with companies like Nike or Reebok. Some designers and artists use it - people who are on the lookout for something new or something that can be applied in a new way. Even though Fraktur is so distinct, it elicits very different interpretations and emotions. Some see it as antiquated, but it can communicate every possible feeling - from cozy or homey to simply cool. "Old English" or "Fette Fraktur" are the most popular examples covering the whole spectrum. The martial "Schaftstiefel Grotesk" from the 1930s is an exception - you can hardly cast that as recent.
Ms. Schalansky, your book is provocative and fascinating. What were your reasons for creating a book like this about the Fraktur font?
Schalansky: I'm fascinated by ambivalent phenomena. And Fraktur is ambivalent. It's actually a dead font. No literary work today is still set in Fraktur. On the other hand, Fraktur is also very much alive again. It is amazing how often it is used for displays, on T-shirts, labels and flyers.
That must be the reason for your ironic portrayal - you wanted to show that the font which was reputed to be dead was in fact full of life.
Schalansky: Yes. The book intentionally plays on this ambivalence: On the one hand, you have the black leather in the classical axis design giving it a very dignified appearance. On the other hand, there is the bright pink and slushy title. Both break with the common view of Fraktur. Pink stands for femininity and lust, which provides a contrast to the masculine-martial idea that many associate with Fraktur. It was important to me to include both approaches. Of course I also wanted to cause a stir with the almost flippant combination of these two opposites - and I was even a bit shocked myself when I held the book in my hands for the first time.
What ignited your love of Fraktur?
Schalansky: When I was about 10 years old, I discovered an old Bible on my father's bedside table. I was enchanted by the book: the thin paper, the flexible cover, and then this old, strange lettering in it which seemed to me to be cryptographic. And then when I deciphered, "God created heaven and earth" - it was something really remarkable. The experience had a lasting effect on me and was one of the reasons why "Fraktur mon Amour" is, to a certain extent, like a Bible.
What role does Fraktur play in print and design today?
Schalansky: It is currently very much in fashion in advertising, for example with companies like Nike or Reebok. Some designers and artists use it - people who are on the lookout for something new or something that can be applied in a new way. Even though Fraktur is so distinct, it elicits very different interpretations and emotions. Some see it as antiquated, but it can communicate every possible feeling - from cozy or homey to simply cool. "Old English" or "Fette Fraktur" are the most popular examples covering the whole spectrum. The martial "Schaftstiefel Grotesk" from the 1930s is an exception - you can hardly cast that as recent.
You're currently working on the second edition of the book which
will contain 333 fonts. What are your criteria for choosing the
fonts?
Schalansky: I accept all well-made fonts - those from publishing houses, but also those from typography freaks. The contemporary Fraktur fonts in particular show that our font heritage is still very much alive and can be played with in wonderful ways. Now and then there are also fonts that end up meaning nonsense. But that's absolutely fine because they show the depth and scope of the work. For me it's important to put history aside and look at the fonts without prejudice because this inheritance is something that should be treasured.
Is "Fraktur mon Amour" really a declaration of love?
Schalansky: For the first edition I spent several months just researching. But then everything happened very quickly. I took a break from studying and worked day and night for three months. I've noticed now in my work on the second edition that I have to be careful, because I get so absorbed in the topic that I lose myself. But it is this almost erotic relationship that attracts you and makes you want to delve further into the font.
Schalansky: I accept all well-made fonts - those from publishing houses, but also those from typography freaks. The contemporary Fraktur fonts in particular show that our font heritage is still very much alive and can be played with in wonderful ways. Now and then there are also fonts that end up meaning nonsense. But that's absolutely fine because they show the depth and scope of the work. For me it's important to put history aside and look at the fonts without prejudice because this inheritance is something that should be treasured.
Is "Fraktur mon Amour" really a declaration of love?
Schalansky: For the first edition I spent several months just researching. But then everything happened very quickly. I took a break from studying and worked day and night for three months. I've noticed now in my work on the second edition that I have to be careful, because I get so absorbed in the topic that I lose myself. But it is this almost erotic relationship that attracts you and makes you want to delve further into the font.
Judith Schalansky
Born in Greifswald, Germany. She studied art history and communications design. Today she lives and works as a self-employed designer and author in Berlin and teaches typography at the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences. In 2006, Ms. Schalansky published Fraktur mon Amour, which was awarded the silver medal by the Art Directors Club Deutschland and the "Award for Typographic Excellence" by the Type Directors Club of New York. In the spring of 2008, she made her literary debut with the Mare publishing house in Hamburg for her novel "Blau steht Dir nicht" (Blue Doesn't Look Good on You: A Sailor Novel).
