How I Design Books

Friedrich Forssman provides a detailed insight into the workshop of a book designer.

Although the design of the cover and binding of a book is elemental for the reader, author, publisher and bookseller, the inner typography is at least as important as a provider of structure and orientation. It can be serious or playful, it can quote historical elements or be decidedly up-to-date – or both. From the clear and consistent design of the entire book right down to the choice of paper and cover materials, it can express the faith of all concerned in the seriousness of the enterprise and the love of the book.


Friedrich Forssman, one of the most prominent German book designers, gives a report on the way he approaches book design: from the general to the specific, from outside and inside, from typographical details to the production process.


The Author
Friedrich Forssman, born 1965, completed an apprenticeship as a typesetter and studied graphic design (one of his teachers was Hans Peter Willberg); from 1990 he was a book designer and typographer for the Arno Schmidt Foundation and a large number of publishers. The Buchkunst Foundation regularly awarded prizes to his work.
His designs include the Bargfeld Arno Schmidt Edition, the »Reclam-Bibliothek« and the new layout of the »Universal-Bibliothek«; he is an exhibition curator and the author of many specialist publications including: Lesetypografie (Reading Typography, 2005); Erste Hilfe in Typografie (First Steps of Typography) (2007) (both in cooperation with Hans Peter Willberg); Detailtypografie (Detail Typography) (2010) (in cooperation with Ralf de Jong).