Elements retained from Edward Young’s original design of 1935: horizontal tripartite grid, quartic with publisher’s name, penguin logo, thematic colour coding (green = crime).

Jan Tschichold’s reforms (late 1940s): use of Gill Sans (previously Bodoni Ultra Bold) for the publisher’s name, optically letterspaced capitals, thin rule between title and author, subtle redrawing of the penguin logo, consistent use of space.

Penguin retained the horizontal grid for its crime titles well into the early 1960s.

Resources:
For more on the design and history of Penguin Books, see Penguin by design: A cover story 1935-2005 and Seven hundred penguins in the bibliography.

30/07/10 – National Spartakiad matchbox label designs from Czechoslovakia circa 1959. The Spartakiads were mass sporting competitions created by the Soviet Union originally meant as an alternative to the Olympic movement. Competitions took place either in the summer or winter and brought together competitors on regional, national and international levels.

27/07/10 – Teak and limba wood toy monkey with articulated joints designed and produced by Kay Bojesen and his workshop in Denmark c. 1951. Available today complete with Henri Rousseau themed packaging through Rosendhal.

16/07/10 – Matchbox label series from 1959 for the Czecho-Slovak Red Cross. Messages include such wise adages as: “Alcoholism ruins society.” “Play safe!” “Keep your town clean.” and “Respiratory exams catch TB early.”

02/05/09 – Lambretta LD 150 scooter built by Innocenti in Milan circa 1954-56.

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