‘What if' is a typical question for an alternate history scenario, also called Uchronia: choose a starting point in history and imagine a different outcome. Based on Futura Fett, released by the Bauer Foundry in Frankfurt in 1928, the type was pushed to extreme blackness without loosing its historical reference nor becoming a caricature. Decisions Paul Renner took to achieve maximum boldness like opening the counters of some letters were taken even further. The typeface, designed by Constantin Pfeiffer & Jérôme Knebusch and released in 2020, was initially created during a workshop at the Gutenberg Museum Mainz at the occasion of the 'Futura. Die Schrift' exhibition in 2017. It has a single weight (among the blackest one can find), five widths and respective oblique versions. The glyphset is extended with Futura's iconic historical alternates, ‘Schmuck-Elemente' (decorative geometric forms) and a complete range of thin punctuation marks and diacritics.

Essay devoted to the study of typefaces created during the 15th century which are neither roman nor gothic. The main concern is to offer a description and nomenclature. The research had been undertaken within the framework of the programme at the Atelier National de Recherche Typographique (France). Written by Jérôme Knebusch. Published in Azimuts 48-49, St. Etienne, 2018.

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.

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.

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.

Art direction, design & organisation of the Pangramme: learning type design call and exhibition together with the Design graphique & Typographie class at ESAL Metz. The exhibition showcases fifty unpublished student type designs. Jury: Andrea Tinnes (Germany), Alejandro Lo Celso (Argentina), Matthieu Cortat (France), Hans-Jürg Hunziker (Switzerland) & Gerard Unger (Netherlands). The exhibtion traveled after ESAL Metz to ESAD Amiens, Le Signe Chaumont, ATypI Montréal and Druckkunst Museum Leipzig. Free PDF download of the catalogue (link below).

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.

One week workshop at Hochschule Mainz with Bachelor students. Design of a full digital alphabet with predefined geometric modules.

Instant is an anachronic type family going from thin, quick handwritten letters to stable, black typographic shapes. Each of the five styles correspond to a singular design related to a specific stroke speed and weight: Vivid, Quick, Regular, Slow, Heavy. Hommage to the poet, painter and writer Henri Michaux (1899 – 1984), it questions fundamental differences between handwriting and typography, type family consistency and the relation and usage of roman, bold and cursive faces. Instant was designed by Jérôme Knebusch in 2005 as part of a personal research project at ANRT Nancy. First published in 2012 by BAT Foundry, it is today available at Poem. In 2020, Instant Variable was added to the collection.