The Eindhoven School for Graphic Techniques, known in Dutch as the Grafische School Eindhoven, was a vocational school for graphic education in the southern Netherlands. The school was established to serve the region, with construction approved and lessons initially held in temporary quarters on the Struyckenstraat before the permanent building opened on 1 September 1966 at the Karel de Grotelaan in Eindhoven.[1]
Design and History
The school’s 1966 logo is attributed to Dutch graphic designer Baer Cornet (1937-2014). Cornet, a typographer and graphic designer from Venlo, worked as an in-house designer at the Lecturis printing company in Eindhoven from 1963, where he was responsible for the design of printed matter for regional clients.[2] During this period he designed the logo and annual study guide for the Technical University of Eindhoven (TH Eindhoven), a project that earned him the Amsterdam Frans Duwaer Award in 1964.[3]
Cornet’s design approach was shaped by his training under Teun Teunissen van Manen, a proponent of functional typography and grid-based layouts. Cornet described his own purism as originating from “a somewhat neurotic urge to arrange elements functionally and preferably beautifully,” with the conviction that the viewer should be able to grasp the message as quickly as possible.[3] His work is characterized by the use of white space, strict grids, and a preference for sans-serif typefaces, particularly the Monotype Grotesque.[2]
The school building itself was designed by the Eindhoven architecture firm Geenen en Oskam.[1] The institution later operated under names including De Eindhovense School and Leonardo da Vinci 1, and the building at the Karel de Grotelaan was demolished in 2018.[4]
Meaning and Symbolism
Documented descriptions of the logo’s specific symbolic meaning are not available in the research sources. What is verifiable is that Cornet’s design philosophy emphasized functional, objective arrangements of elements, with the goal of immediate comprehension by the viewer.[3] The mark reflects the modernist tradition of Dutch graphic design that Cornet championed, a tradition rooted in the ideas of designers such as Piet Zwart and Paul Schuitema, favoring businesslike, objective design.[5]
Typography and Design
Cornet’s typographic preferences are well documented. He favored sans-serif typefaces, especially the Monotype Grotesque, and also used types such as Frutiger, Futura, and Gill Sans in his work. He avoided Univers, which he found “too slick,” and considered Futura “too German.”[2] His layouts frequently employed square formats and asymmetric modernist compositions with wide or minimal margins.[3]
Logo Index is an independent educational archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. All trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective owners.
