Almost is a typeface between gothic and roman. Based on in-depth research, it was designed by Jérôme Knebusch in 2012-2019 in five weights and two styles, Gothic and Roman, and completed in 2021 with respective italics. Almost Display was added to the collection in 2024, intended to headlines and shorter texts in bigger sizes. It carefully adapts its proportions to save horizontal space, and sharper terminals look more refined, especially in bolder weights. Almost Display otherwise mirrors the various expressive possibilities of Almost, and might be the preferred choice in point sizes above twenty. More information about Almost on Poem's website.

Decode Blockdock is a font which integrates a representative, uniformed glyph for each encoded Unicode block. Commissioned by Johannes Bergerhausen from Institut Designlabor Gutenberg/ Hochschule Mainz and used for the decodeunicode and worldswritingsystems websites (links below), and its iconic poster together with the missing scripts (ANRT research program).

Koch Lichte Grotesk is the newest revival of Lichte Neuland by Rudolf Koch, designed by Edvinas Žukauskas and Jérôme Knebusch and published by Poem for Neuland’s centenary in 2023. Lichte Neuland appeared five years after Neuland in 1928, in the Gebr. Klingspor specimen dedicated to the American market by the Continental Typefounders Association. Koch Lichte Grotesk is an accurate revival of the 12 pt Cicero size, the smallest one. It is currently the only fully identified original size, as shown on the 1928 index card of the German Association of Typefounders. This association was founded at the beginning of the 20th century and most German type foundries were members. It served to represent their interests in economic, political and legal matters. A secondary source are the Lichte Neuland Cicero letters from the letterpress workshop P98A, Berlin. Koch Lichte Grotesk is available in four fonts: 12 Cicero, 12 Cicero Plain, 12 Cicero Inline and 12 Cicero Line. 10% of licence purchases are deposited each year as flowers on Koch's grave.

In the mid-nineteenth century, the French Ministry of the Navy ordered all fishermen to register with local authorities. Drifter boats and sardine luggers were henceforth required to sport a clearly visible number and initial letter on their bows and sails, in order to help the gendarmes identify them. Boat numbers followed a consistent ‘Didot’ style until the mid-1880s before they began to shift. Blackletter initials occasionally popped up on hulls, as did ornamental squares or diamonds. Rounded letters opened up to the point of illegibility, ending in assertive ball terminals and spectacular bifurcations (or ‘barbs’) appeared at the feet of numerals with vertical stems. According to some old seadogs, the alphabet à barbes was invented to make the figures ‘favourable for fishing’ and to bring good fortune. But other witnesses rejected this superstitious idea. Far from being incompatible, these viewpoints provide insights into the varied perspectives of seafarers. Written by Yoann De Roeck and edited by Alice Savoie and Jérôme Knebusch in the Poem Pamphlet series.

Of all the title fonts from the Klingspor type foundry, Neuland was probably the most frequently used abroad. But how was it produced? A letter Koch sent to Ernst Kellner in 1922 raises more questions than it answers, and designers have speculated for nearly half a century about whether Koch really cut the hallmarks without any preparation. Dan Reynolds has examined the various sources; Edvinas Žukauskas and Jérôme Knebusch have digitised the different sizes for the first time. The essay Making Neuland and the typeface Koch Grotesk were published by Poem for Neuland’s centenary in 2023. Conference held at ENSAD Nancy, 28 November 2023. It was recorded, link below.

The Musée d'Orsay is dedicated to artistic expression from the period 1848–1914. With an annual attendance of 3.5 million visitors, it stands as one of the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions. Its complete visual identity overhaul, undertaken by the Paris-based graphic design studio Zoo, offers a contemporary interpretation of the museum’s artistic legacy by establishing a clear, readable, and engaging visual language. As part of this redesign, an exclusive typeface was created in two styles. This typeface is a modern reinterpretation of the typographic developments of La Belle Époque, channeling the vitality of the era to which the Musée d'Orsay is devoted. The roman style presents a distilled interpretation of the 19th-century French Elzévir genre, while the italic revives the Coulée Italique Elzévirienne, originally cast by the Parisian foundry Beaudoire & Fils. The italic also features a set of swash capitals. Both styles were drawn by Rafael Ribas, with advisory, mastering, and production by Jérôme Knebusch. Some images are excerpted from the 2023/2024 program, where the typeface is paired with Antique Legacy.

Koch Grotesk is the newest revival of Neuland by Rudolf Koch, designed by Edvinas Žukauskas and Jérôme Knebusch and published by Poem for Neuland’s centenary in 2023. It is the most faithful to Gebr. Klingspor’s products and includes one separate font for each of the nine original sizes. The appearance is rough, especially when comparing multiple sizes. One notices that the characters in each size are not enlarged or reduced versions of the same master. Koch wrote, ‘the inventor of the form and the maker of the punches were united in one person. The typeface was created without a previous draft on paper, from the mass of metal and the [punchcutter’s] tool, as a sculptural task.' Koch Grotesk also includes a tenth font with lowercase letters. For the first time, this tenth font gives designers access to Gebr. Klingspor’s never-released Neuland lowercase and their matching uppercase. Koch Grotesk was accurately redrawn based on the archives at Klingspor Museum Offenbach and Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt. Only few, necessary glyphs have been added, and the font names correspond to the point sizes and original German terms. 10% of licence purchases are deposited each year as flowers on Koch's grave.

Of the display typefaces Rudolf Koch designed, Neuland may have received the most use abroad. But how was it made? A 1922 letter Koch sent to Ernst Kellner provides more questions than answers, and designers have speculated for almost half a century about whether Koch really cut its punches without any preparation. Dan Reynolds’s essay reviews these textual sources, comparing them with surviving process material preserved in the Klingspor Museum and elsewhere. Written by Dan Reynolds and edited by Alice Savoie and Jérôme Knebusch in the Poem Pamphlet series.

Rudolf Koch and Fritz Kredel's remarkable Blumenbuch [Book of Flowers] was published between 1929 and 1942, from precious volumes and portfolios to pocket editions, involving numerous collaborators, printers and publishers such as Mainzer Presse in Mainz, Ernst-Ludwig-Presse in Darmstadt and Insel-Verlag, Leipzig. The Insel paperback edition continued to be printed throughout the 20th century. Koch began drawing wild flowers in 1922. He explains that he 'collected [the flowers] at random and without any particular purpose. I only drew those that grew in Offenbach and the surrounding area...'. A member of Koch's Werkstatt, the young Kredel, engraved most of the 250 drawings. The flowers were engraved on wood and coloured entirely by hand. The entire project - the various editions, sketchbooks, printing tests and original woodcuts - constitutes an exceptional archive that was exhibited for the first time in France, at the Modulab gallery in Metz The exhibition curated by Jérôme Knebusch is a joint venture between the Klingspor Museum, Poem, Modulab and the École nationale d'art et de design de Nancy.

One hour conference about four typeface projects: Instant, Almost, Triennale and Nouveau. Given at Fonts & Faces symposium #9 curated by Simon Renaud. Video recording link below.

La fin du monde [The end of the world] resembles a thistle or a holly branch. During his residency at the Ergastule studios in Nancy, France, Jérôme Knebusch created twelve in a limited edition. All look similar, but none are identical. They were vector drawn, laser cut in brass, manually folded and oxidized in vinegar steam. Six are exclusively available at Poem, six others at Ergastule. The thistle photograph by Emile Gallé is from the École de Nancy archives.

Artem is the custom exclusive typeface for ARTEM, which stands for Art, Technology and Management,an original initiative set up by the École nationale supérieure d'art et de design de Nancy, ICN Business School and Mines Nancy. For everyday text use, an extension known as Artem Bureau has been added to the Artem type family. While Artem is a unicase type (a singular mixture of some capitals and minuscules), Artem Bureau is a complete set of lowercase and capitals for everyday office use, and enhanced with more extensive functions and glyphs. Currently, only ENSAD Nancy uses this typeface, available in Regular, Bold (2017) and Italic (2022). ENSAD Nancy has also ordered a graphic version, Artem Dot, which reinforces its identity within the overall Artem project. More information on the Artem identity typeface page.