Edited with text by Anežka Minaríková. Translated by Nathan Fields.
The first publication in English on the career of Czech graphic designer and typographer Clara Istlerová
Clara Istlerová (born 1944) was one of few female designers in the male-dominated field of Czech typography. Born into an artistic family, she studied under František Muzika at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. Working entirely in analog processes, she created the design for one of the most influential books on Czech architecture, Švácha, Rostislav: From Modernity to Functionalism (1985). Offering a vivid portrayal of an era where design was a tangible, labor-intensive endeavor carried out in close collaboration with typesetters and printers, A Life Among Letters unveils the artistic landscape of former Czechoslovakia through the lens of a trailblazing designer. It features an intimate interview with Istlerová conducted by Anežka Minaríková, accompanied by work from Istlerová’s personal archive and a description of her creative process in her own words.
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What began as a student project and eventually became the flesh of a printed book, A Life Among Letters, published by Inventory Press, is an extended interview between Clara Anežka in which she explores the very personal influences that fed into Clara’s life’s work – a largely unrecognised revolutionary oeuvre that spanned some of the greatest political and societal upheavals of Czech history, all whilst leaving an unmistakable mark on an era of book design and 20th-century typography.
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The quirky compositions and vintage warmth in these spreads exemplify the unique approach of pioneering Czech typographer Clara Istlerová (born 1944), found in the first English language book on her work, Clara Istlerová: A Life Among Letters. One of the most important women in Czechoslovakia’s male-dominated field of typography, Istlerová paved her own path, contributing to books and films critical to Czech national heritage while navigating the tumultuous history of her country in the latter half of the twentieth century—all while remaining playful and curious, familial yet glamorous. Her design language reveals the labor-intensive methods of graphics and type before the introduction of computers: analog processes where she concocted each letter, shape and format in close collaboration with typesetters and printers. Stylistically, she reflects the rich Czech avant-garde tradition, whether influenced by her father, the surrealist painter Josef Istler, or by her involvement with the typographic group Typo&. In this beautifully designed, 224-page paperback from the renowned designer-publishers at Inventory Press, Istlerová’s work is represented on several deluxe papers with special metallic ink, mirroring her own eclecticism. Throughout the book, her colorful and off-kilter designs are enriched by archival photographs of friends, family and her beloved and extremely photogenic dachshunds, while the main text—a rare, extensive and intimate interview with editor and designer Anežka Minaříková—establishes Istlerová as a central player in experimental midcentury type design.
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Published by Inventory Press. Edited with text by Anežka Minaríková. Translated by Nathan Fields.
The first publication in English on the career of Czech graphic designer and typographer Clara Istlerová
Clara Istlerová (born 1944) was one of few female designers in the male-dominated field of Czech typography. Born into an artistic family, she studied under František Muzika at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. Working entirely in analog processes, she created the design for one of the most influential books on Czech architecture, Švácha, Rostislav: From Modernity to Functionalism (1985). Offering a vivid portrayal of an era where design was a tangible, labor-intensive endeavor carried out in close collaboration with typesetters and printers, A Life Among Letters unveils the artistic landscape of former Czechoslovakia through the lens of a trailblazing designer. It features an intimate interview with Istlerová conducted by Anežka Minaríková, accompanied by work from Istlerová’s personal archive and a description of her creative process in her own words.
