Designer Lennart Van den Bossche’s typographic work combines "logic and beauty"

Date
21 February 2017

Graphic designer Lennart Van den Bossche always starts his projects in black and white, using typography to “think of the most logical way to show the content”. Recently moving from Belgium to Italy, the designer enjoys working on projects that give him freedom and time. “Being able to dig out all the details is the nicest thing there is and that needs time,” explains Lennart. “Most of all I like designing books, it’s such a great medium to design. In a poster you have to put all the information in one place – in a book you can put the content where you want, so if two things fight with each other they can be placed on different pages.”

Using a relatively muted palette with the odd pop of red and green, many of Lennart’s projects experiment with typography and composition. One stand-out project is his designs for a PhD thesis at the University of Ghent. “The university didn’t use it in the end. They wanted 12pt Calibri in one text column on A4. They did use the cover design I made but it had to be in Times, the typeface I’ve used in my own version is Atlantic (by HeavyWeight type foundry),” explains Lennart. After making his alterations for the university’s deadline, the designer showcases the design that he ultimately wanted in his portfolio. “I wanted a copy for me and for the PhD student and not just for the jury of the university. I enjoyed designing the book so much because it’s really hardcore typography and there are so many details to look after like references to graphics and tables.”

Another book Lennart has designed is an artist book for François Van Damme, who creates fast, black and white drawings. “He’s one of my best friends and an obsessive drawer and always draws with people around in him bars. He hates exhibitions so I asked him if I could make a book for him,” says Lennart. “It felt like a logical step and François gave me a box with around 3,000 drawings in different sizes.” The designer whittled down the drawings to just 250, playing with layout and a loose narrative for the book. The cover is a punchy tribute to the artist and uses bold typography with a vivid red background.

Lennart’s portfolio of well-presented projects reflects his approach to design as a whole. “I started to design not because I like the action of designing, but because I love things that are beautiful. So when I make something, really it’s just for myself,” says Lennart. “I want my work to be the combination between logic and beauty.”

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Lennart Van den Bossche

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Lennart Van den Bossche

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Lennart Van den Bossche

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Lennart Van den Bossche

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Lennart Van den Bossche

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Lennart Van den Bossche

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Lennart Van den Bossche

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Lennart Van den Bossche

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Lennart Van den Bossche

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Lennart Van den Bossche

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Lennart Van den Bossche

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About the Author

Rebecca Fulleylove

Rebecca Fulleylove is a freelance writer and editor specialising in art, design and culture. She is also senior writer at Creative Review, having previously worked at Elephant, Google Arts & Culture, and It’s Nice That.

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