Typography Basics · Combining Typefaces

Prof. Philipp Stamm, 1966, was trained as a typographer before he began his studies in Typographic Design and Visual Communication in Basel. Since 2000 Philipp Stamm is lecturer in Type Design, Typography and Corporate Design at the HGK in Basel. He also offers the Type Design summer workshop as part of the continuing education program. 
Apart from his teaching activity, he spent eight years researching and documenting the work of Adrian Frutiger. Over a period of two years, he conducted interviews with the famous Swiss type designer. In 2008, the comprehensive monograph on the complete typeface work of Adrian Frutiger was published in German, English and French – Heidrun Osterer, Philipp Stamm: "Adrian Frutiger – Typefaces. The Complete Works". The second, revised and expanded edition appeared in 2014, the third English edition in 2021.
In his book “Schrifttypen - Verstehen / Kombinieren - Schriftmischung als Reiz in der Typografie”, also published by www.birkhauser.ch in 2020, he conveys a deeper understanding of the diversity of typefaces through a detailed examination of typeface design and a renewed font classification - and, through systematic analysis, gains the necessary insights for combining fonts. The English edition: “Understanding / Combining - Typefaces - Typeface Combination as Typographic Stimulus” was published in 2021.

• Basic knowledge of Adobe InDesign or Adobe Illustrator
• The joy of discovering, exploring and creating with a variety of fonts

The workshop is aimed at people who want to contrast their gut feeling with an analytical view and gain more confidence in dealing with typesetting through specific formal examinations.

The workshop offers a well-founded examination of typesetting through theory and creative practice. The topics covered are Font selection, font character, font classification, font blending, font size, color as well as optical adjustment and balancing for applications in the fields of typography, graphic design, branding and print.

The Institute Digital Communication Environments (IDCE) offers workshops for students, educators and graphic designers.

The workshops afford insights into topical themes of visual communication in a study programme reflecting the rich tradition of the Basel School of Design. Practical exercises with a high level of professionalism form the core of the workshops focus. Reflection as well as contextual knowledge will be conveyed by way of input sessions, allowing participants’ work to be judged within a contemporary, future-oriented context relevant to professional practice. The trinational Rhine River Valley is a unique cultural environment with easy access to France and Germany and to sites such as the Vitra Design Museum (G), the Isenheimer Alter (F), or Ronchamps (F). In Basel, the Fondation Beyeler, Tinguely Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Schaulager, and Museum of Contemporary Art are world-renowned. Besides its museums, Basel offers a rich mixture of cultural events.

Multiple Bookings:
  2 ECTS     CHF   900.-
  4 ECTS     CHF 1700.-
  6 ECTS     CHF 2400.-
  8 ECTS    CHF 3000.-
10 ECTS     CHF 3500.-

20% discount with a valid student ID. This must be sent in with the registration (pdf).

Terms of participation (PDF)
Information on continuing education FHNW (fhnw.ch/DE)
Continuing education regulations of the universities FHNW (fhnw.ch/DE)