SVA Archives

Henry Wolf Collection, Box 5C. Spread from Esquire, March 1958.

March 23, 2014

Henry Wolf on typography

In 1958 Henry Wolf, newly appointed art director for Harper’s Bazaar, was tapped by the Advertising Typographers Association to write an essay on magazine typography for their bulletin. Wolf had already gained wide recognition as a promising young art director for his six years at Esquire, especially for his striking but austere use of type in layouts. The complete essay, accompanied by spreads designed by Wolf, is below.

White brochure with the American coat of arms on it, in between red and black text reading "TYPE TALKS: July 4th, '76 & August 1958"

Type Talks, a publication of the Advertising Typographers Association of America, August 1958

Magazine spread: left page is text, right is color photograph of a bird flying against a sunset/sunrise

Henry Wolf Collection, Box 5A Folder 12. Spread from Harper’s Bazaar, featuring photographs by Hiro, undated.

Magazine spread: both pages are text, with the first letter of each column in an oversized gothic font

Henry Wolf Collection, Box 5A Folder 8. Spread from Harper’s Bazaar, November 1958.

Magazine spread: left page is a close-up color photograph of a crying eye; right page is a column of text with the header ACTE in large block letters

Henry Wolf Collection, Box 5B Folder 6. Spread from Show, December 1961.

Magazine spread: left page is a woman in a bikini sitting with her knees up; right page is a small column of text with a small woman in a black dress appearing to stand on top of the opening letter T

Henry Wolf Collection, Box 5A Folder 13. Spread from Harper’s Bazaar, featuring photographs by Richard Avedon, undated.

Photograph of a stack of three white, red and blue magazines

Henry Wolf Collection, Box 5C. Cover from Esquire’s Italian Fair special, January 1958.

You can find more spreads by Henry Wolf in our Flickr library.