Bandontwerp voor: Ernest Granger's kleine algemeene geschiedenis, 1933 1933

This is Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries’s book cover design for Ernest Granger's Kleine Algemeene Geschiedenis, made in 1933. It’s a delicate drawing, maybe pencil and ink, that has a knight on horseback surrounded by lettering. I can imagine De Vries sitting at his desk, sketching and re-sketching the knight, trying to get the right balance of detail and simplicity. What was he thinking about as he worked? Was he imagining the stories inside the book, or was he more focused on the formal challenges of creating a compelling design? The grid underneath the design gives a sense of structure and order, but the loose lines of the drawing add a touch of playfulness. I am drawn to the muted color palette. It feels old and modern at the same time, doesn’t it? We can think of artists as being in an ongoing conversation, riffing off of one another’s ideas and approaches. It’s nice to imagine how these ideas come together over time.