Idle Hour Books
Herzberg Design · Herzberg Design
A custom blackletter logo and identity for a Kansas bookshop, drawn from an unpublished piece of lettering by Dutch designer Helmut Salden.
About
Created for Idle Hour Books, a bookshop in Humboldt, Kansas, this identity centres on a blackletter logotype derived from an unpublished lettering work by the late Dutch designer Helmut Salden, known primarily for his book cover designs. Ornamental elements are drawn from stained glass windows in the building that will house the shop, while the colour palette comes from a 1933 Japanese publication, 'A Dictionary of Color Combinations'. A woodcut-style 'reading skeleton' illustration rounds out the identity, referencing the tradition of turn-of-the-century Ex-Libris bookplates.
Classification
The logo uses custom blackletter lettering based on an unpublished piece by Dutch designer Helmut Salden, placing it firmly in the blackletter tradition with a historical bookish character.