Most of Enric Crous Vidal’s typefaces were designed between 1950 and 1954, years that coincide with the zenith of his professional career as a graphic designer in France. From his modular proposals, which came close to the experimental models of the 1930s, to his last creations at the end of the 1960s, the typefaces of Crous Vidal answers more to an aesthetic purpose than to rational worries, although his lastest works seem to point more towards a functional direction.
In his search for the “Latinity” of the letter, Crous had in mind the quality of the monumental Roman letter and the legacy of Latin tradition. A worry that he had to reconcile with the increasing popularity of the sans-serif.
In this lecture, I will try to contextualize the work of Crous-Vidal, from his early years in Spain where he engaged with the Avantgarde Art movements to his exile in Paris where he established himself as a reputable graphic designer.