Konstfack Research Seminar: Jens Schildt - "Documentary Graphic Design: Archiving, Publishing & History Writing"

Mrs. Elsie Margareta Svennås, born Johansson, on 8 April 1921, has been publishing books on embroidery with ICA Förlaget since 1954. Mrs. Svennås has worked independently on the books throughout the entire production process, from manuscript to finished book. In addition to writing the manuscripts and designing her own patterns, she has calculated the scope, typeset, participated in photography, drawn, and created the layout. Through her wealth of ideas and well-thought-out methodology, Mrs. Svennås has succeeded in an extraordinary way in visualizing the various topics for the reader. As a result, her books have become some of the publisher's greatest successes and have sold a total of nearly 190 000 copies. Mrs. Svennås is thus one of our very best talents.

Stockholm, 26 April 1972
ICA-FÖRLAGET AKTIEBOLAG
Birgitta O’Nils
Publishing Director, Bokförlaget' ¹

Together with William Andersson and Iréne Thisner, I have initiated a collaboration on the graphic designer and Konstfack teacher Elsie Svennås. During the 1950s–70s, she designed books for ICA Förlaget on textile crafts, published in large editions in several languages. These books combine high typographic quality and innovative design with the ambition to modernize textile labeling. They contain alphabets in different styles that combine controlled playfulness with a musical touch. Svennås introduced modernist letterforms adapted to craft techniques and described herself in ‘Märkbok 2’ from 1959: “For some inexplicable reason, however, textile labeling has not kept pace with developments over the past fifty years.” Despite being one of Sweden’s most published lettering artists, Svennås is unknown today. An online search reveals many of her books, but almost no biographical information. Her work has not been included in the history of graphic design, despite its obvious typographical quality and significance to the field. What can we learn from studying this type of (almost) forgotten typographic craft today? The lettering signals care, quality, and artistry – but can also be seen as quaint and sentimental. I want to approach Svennås’ work from my background as a graphic designer, from an interest in the production of letters and text – language as material and materiality.

1. Certificate from ICA-Förlaget, Elsie Svennås

Biography
Jens Schildt is an independent graphic designer based in Stockholm, Sweden, with a special focus typography, type design, research, and education. In 2008, he co-founded the design studio Our Polite Society together with longtime collaborator Matthias Kreutzer. In 2017, they expanded their collaboration by establishing OPS Type, a type foundry that began as a playground for project-based type designs, which has since developed into a platform for self-initiated projects, commissions, and custom typefaces. In 2023, Jens decided to leave Our Polite Society to establish his own practice while continuing to be a part of OPS Type. Since 2013, he has been sharing his knowledge through teaching at Konstfack.