Fernand Baudin

Fernand Baudin (1918, Deinze – 2005) was a Belgian book designer, author, and typographer. He was active in the field of international graphic design in many ways. Next to his activity of book designer, or “typographiste”, term that he was using to qualify himself,[1] Fernand Baudin was the author of many articles on graphic design, and he wrote and designed two books, How Typography Works (And why it is important) and L'Effet Gutenberg at the end of his career, that sum up his ideas on writing and designing. Fernand Baudin was also a teacher and a lecturer, and he was active in national and international typographic organisations, like ATypI (Association Typographique Internationale), the Graphica Belgica Prize,[2] and Rencontres internationales de Lure, for which he co-initiated a series of publications "Les Dossiers de Lure".

Fernand Baudin dedicated a huge part of his work to the importance of writing, and particularly hand-writing, in graphic design (from the draft to the final copy) and in society in general.[3][4][5][6][7]

Fernand Baudin donated his whole library and archive to the Université Libre de Bruxelles in 2002, and thus helped create the Fonds Fernand Baudin. The Fonds includes more than 50 folders containing his correspondence over the second half of the 20th century, together with manuscripts, typescripts, and proofs and copies of articles that he authored over the same period.[8]

He died on the 18 July 2005.[9] Three years after his death, the Prize for the Most Beautiful Books in Brussels and Wallonia was named in his honour, the Fernand Baudin Prize.[10]

Career

Teacher

Fernand Baudin was a teacher at the Arts school La Cambre in Brussels and at the Nationaal Hoger Instituut voor Bouwkunst & Stedebouw in Antwerpen.[11]

Active member of an international community of graphic designers and thinkers

Fernand Baudin was a member of international typographic organisations, like [ATypI] (Association Typographique Internationale) and Les Rencontres internationales de Lure, in which he gave many lectures, wrote some texts and helped with simultaneous translations.

Throughout his career Fernand Baudin built an important network of graphic designers (and thinkers) of his time, with whom he held a very rich (handwritten) correspondence: Stanley Morison,[12] Gerrit Noordzij,[13] Rosemary Sassoon,[14] Nicolete Gray, John Dreyfus,[15][16] among others.

Selected writings

Next to his two books How Typography Works (And why it is important) and L'Effet Gutenberg, Fernand Baudin has written essays on writing, typography and (book) design in the Belgian and international periodicals Arts et techniques graphiques, Cahiers GUTenberg, Letterletter, and Visible Language, amongst others.

Fernand Baudin, initiator, designer and editor of the “Dossiers” for the Association des Compagnons de Lure, Rencontres internationales de Lure, Lurs-en-Provence (1969–1975)

Fernand Baudin, author and designer

Notes

  1. ↑ Cockx-Indestege 2002, p. 26.
  2. ↑ Sunier & Mazé 2013, p. 3.
  3. ↑ Baudin, Fernand, "L’écriture à bille," Caractère Noël 13, special issue, Fédération française des syndicats patronaux de l’imprimerie et des industries graphiques, 1958.
  4. ↑ Baudin, Fernand, "Typography— Evolution and Revolution", Publishers’ Weekly, R.R. Bowker, February 5, 1968, p.78-84.
  5. ↑ Baudin, Fernand, "The Manuscript Book", The Penrose Annual 67, Hastings House, 1974, p.121-136.
  6. ↑ Baudin, Fernand, "Reflections on the Theme: At the Edge of Meaning," Visible Language 11-2, Merald E. Wrolstad, Spring 1977, p.81-92.
  7. ↑ Baudin, Fernand, "The Teaching of Handwriting in Belgium, 1830-1980," trans. from the French by John Dreyfus, n.d, (Unpublished typescript), reproduced in Dossier Fernand Baudin, Prix Fernand Baudin Prijs, 2013, p.146-157.
  8. ↑ Bibliothèques de l’Université libre de Bruxelles.
  9. ↑ Baerdemaeker 2005, p. 11.
  10. ↑ Website of the Fernand Baudin Prize
  11. ↑ Cockx-Indestege & Colin 2000.
  12. ↑ Cockx-Indestege 2002, p. 21.
  13. ↑ Cockx-Indestege 2002, p. 28.
  14. ↑ Baudin, Fernand, “Dear Rosemary,” July 4th, 1991. (Copy of a manuscript letter to Rosemary Sassoon), reproduced in Dossier Fernand Baudin, Prix Fernand Baudin Prijs, 2013, p.194-197.
  15. ↑ Baudin, Fernand, "Réponses à tes questions", March 7, 1995, (Copy of a manuscript letter to John Dreyfus), reproduced in Dossier Fernand Baudin, Prix Fernand Baudin Prijs, 2013, p.198-200.
  16. ↑ Baudin, Fernand, "Re: From Paillasson to Noordzij" (Copy of a manuscript letter to John Dreyfus), n.d., reproduced in Dossier Fernand Baudin, Prix Fernand Baudin Prijs, 2013, p.204.

References


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