TYPO Talks » Blog Archiv » Four or so questions to … Sander Neijnens

In 2007 Sander made a design for a poem of Nick J. Swarth that was going to be published on a wall. It was the beginning of the project Plekgedichten (On-site Poetry). Until now, about 17 of these poems were realised in the public space. In some of them Sander uses his typeface Mrs. Trees. The typeface is a great tool to visualize and construct texts that are built with isomorphous objects: type that can be touched.

At TYPO Berlin 2013, Sander Neijnens will tell us how Mrs.Trees was born and raised. Together with Nick J. Swarth he will construct an on-site poem at the HKW. (18 May 2013, 4pm, TYPO Show)

1. Which work are you particularly proud of? Which work best represents your style or approach?

I am particularly proud of the on-site poems I make together with poet Nick Swarth. A good example is the poem we made last year for a landart event. The poem (translated): “What sprouts from the earth returns in her womb”. We constructed this text with sprouts that were pinned on a tree. During the two week event the sprouts slowly putrefied. More examples of on-site poems can be viewed at www.onsitepoetry.eu.

2. We chose “Touch” as the theme for this year’s TYPO Berlin. In your opinion, what qualities does design need to have to touch people’s lives? Can you name an example for for design work that had this effect on you?

I like design that surprises me and at the same time seems to be obvious. And I don’t like design that doesn’t match the function of an object (or it has to be a good joke).

Sander Neijnens

Graphic Designer (Tilburg)

Graphic designer. Runs his own company Bladvulling since 1991. Besides commissioned work he initiates projects on topics that have his special interest. In 2004 he published the book ‘Shirt numbers’ about the design of numbers on football jerseys. He also wrote two books about the most versatile musical instrument, the accordion: ‘Leporello’ (2006) and ‘The Giulietti Sound’ (2008). Since 2007 he works together with poet Nick J. Swarth in the still running On-Site Poetry project. For this typoetry project he made two modular typefaces. In 2013 he designed the typeface Zwijsen Blokfont that’s used in writing education at Dutch primary schools. His latest project is the design of TilburgsAns, together with illustrator Ivo van Leeuwen.

Speaker page

3. Is there someone you always have wanted to get in touch with, but so far haven’t? Who do you especially look forward to getting in touch with at TYPO Berlin?

There’s no one special I want to get in touch with at TYPO Berlin. But I am sure I will meet many interesting people.

4. Required reading/watching: What are currently your favorite interesting/beautiful publications, exhibitions, books, TV-shows, movies, apps and/or websites?

As I am learning Italian I try to decipher Italian novels (e.g. Niccolo Ammaniti, Italo Calvino, Cesare Pavese).
And I just discovered the music by Kristi Stassinopoulou and Stathis Kalyviotis, a Greek duo that makes interesting music, combining Greek folk tunes, Balkan rhythms, Indian music and pop music.