Lettering Off the Grid
The Quirky Charm of German Gaspipe Lettering
My lettering obsessions have led me down some unexpected rabbit holes: romance paperbacks, cabinet cards, and breweriana, to name a few. More recently I became mildly obsessed with rectilinear sans serifs—what commercial letterers call flat-sided gothic or gaspipe style—thanks in large part to an early-twentieth-century German lettering manual, Hohberg Schriften Buch. (Although I missed out on a copy at Katherine Small Gallery, shoutout to the shop’s curator, Michael Russem, for hooking me up with photos!)
The book that triggered my latest German gaspipe lettering obsession
When I first started lettering, I rarely gave unassuming sans serif styles a second glance. But after more than 30 years of practice, subtle design details begin to stand out. I was especially intrigued by the peculiar traits of Hohberg’s Netzgrotesk (“grid grotesque”). Like other German specimens I’d seen, the K has an angled upper arm, but instead of a diagonal leg, the lower right stroke is vertical. Curiously, the A has a short bar at its apex, while the J is topped with a similar horizontal stroke, presumably to increase the volume of the form. Several letters (including the J), also have unusual angled terminals, which I suspect are remnants of pen-written strokes. In some cases, uppercase letters even take on lowercase forms.
Ernst Bentele’s grid diagram for making rectilinear letters with a ruler and compass
Whatever the origin of these idiosyncrasies, I decided to draw my own interpretation. Rather than sticking to the rigid grid of the original reference, I replaced the straight strokes of the O, D, and other rounded letters with gently curved stems to give the geometric forms greater warmth and personality. At the same time, I preserved the quirky characteristics that drew me to the style in the first place.
My interpretation (bottom) of the original Netzgrotesk specimen (top)
Like so many of my niche lettering obsessions, this one will sit patiently in my bag of tricks until the right project comes along.
Viele Grüße!
Ken
Type & Lettering
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