Het Belgische tijdschrift Grafiek en de katholieke interpretatie van de modernistische typografie tijdens de jaren dertig en veertig

Grafiek (1936–2000) was a Belgian graphic arts periodical published by KOLVO, the alumni union of the ‘Kunstdrukschool Sint-Lucas’ in Ghent. Focusing on the first 25 issues (1936–1948) this article is a first investigation of how the graphic style evolved at this school during the early period of the modern graphic design. Leading man of both the Kunstdrukschool and Grafiek was friar Jan Peeters, who tinkered a design method that served as a pedagogical instrument. His method was inspired (directly or indirectly) by the writings of modernist pioneers such as Jan Tschichold. For a Catholic designer in Belgium in the early twentieth century, shaping the new profession of the graphic designer that combined progressive (modernist) aesthetics with deep religious catholic incentives clearly was a struggle.