Ninety Years of Penguin: Charles Nix Discusses Typography's Iconic Impact with Creative Boom

Penguin celebrates its 90th anniversary this year. One of the most influential identities in publishing, typography has been central to Penguin from its start. This became formalized when Jan Tschichold joined Penguin in the 1940s, implementing composition rules and the “typographic rhythm” tri-band system.

As Charles Nix, Senior Executive Creative Director at Monotype, told Creative Boom, “Tschichold’s composition rules for Penguin stripped away impediments to understanding. They weren’t just aesthetic — they enabled communication.”

Nix recently spoke with Emily Gosling at Creative Boom on the iconic Penguin brand, how the publisher has changed over the years, and his own personal connection to Penguin. Read on for Nix’s full discussion with Creative Boom.