TM-City : the typographic masonry of Richard Niessen

Publication accompanying the TM-City travelling exhibition, which launched during 18th International Poster and Graphic Arts Festival of Chaumont, France.

TM stands for 'Typographic Masonry'. In TM – City, sources of inspiration such as poster designer AM Cassandre, artist Eduardo Paolozzi, and graphic designer Tadanori Yokoo can be seen. They are honored by Niessen with a street name.

Richard Niessen's graphic design is an ode to ornament. His seemingly organized chaos is captured within a system of layered decorations. For Niessen, ornament is not merely a decoration but part of a larger whole. Through the stacking and arrangement of typographic elements, a linear weave emerges that has hardly any equivalent in Dutch graphic design. His consistent approach reveals a love for Byzantine and medieval illumination and is characterized by an exuberant confluence of typography, calligraphy, and imagery.