mit dem Zeichen océbestechen durch
Konzeption und AusfQhrung. Walter plata
Between San Francisco and Tokyo all teach
ers at Schools of Design are dreaming of
the perfect «corporate image,» and their
students dream of being some day entrusted
with this sort of problem. In the Dutch city of
Venlo a group of architects, product de
signers and graphic artists have succeeded
in providing the firm VAN DER GRINTEN
with a very successful «corporate image»
whose graphic features are presented to our
readers on the following six pages. In 1968
Jacques Peeters, who headed the group, re
ceived for his outstanding achievement the
most coveted trophy of Holland: the Frans-
Duwaer-Award of the City Amsterdam. VAN
DER GRINTEN produces and sells all over
the world office equipment, photostatic equip
ment for drawing offices, as well as the re
quired foils and papers. All products and
materials are distributed under the registered
brand «océ.» This brand does double duty
as trade-mark. Products, basic materials (un-
sensitized foils and papers), partition walls
Copying for the masses of the Middle Ages
When printing was developed
in the early 15 th century, an
entire era came to a close.
Block prints were soon
followed by the sophisticated
products of the letterpress,
which were to remain almost
unchanged for four centuries.
They definitely marked the
end of the Middle Ages, or, as
this era has been called, the
Age of Faith.In the history
of art and technology a case
might be argued for calling it
the Age of Copying, for at no
time in history did art meet
copying needs so clearly. Some-
may feel that this is confusing
art with technology; however,
Marshall McLuhan has
convincingly argued that it is
often the technology of the
past that we experience as art.
Polyester film in the drawing office
Linke und rechte Seite: Innenseiten und Titel des
Journals «communications»
Left and right page: Pages and title of the journal
«communications»
Page de gauche et de droite: Pages et titre du
journal «communications»
Foto: MARTIEN COPPENS
46
