Joop
Brutal Types · Ramiro Espinoza · 2025
A single-style display typeface digitised by Ramiro Espinoza from hand-carved lettering on a 1920s tombstone in The Hague, rooted in the Amsterdamse School tradition.
About
The letterforms originate with sculptor Theo Vos, who carved them into the tombstone of Josephine van den Nieuwenhuijsen at St. Petrus Banden Cemetery. Espinoza's digital interpretation preserves the idiosyncratic proportions, rhythmic tension and solemn expressiveness of the originals. The result is a one-style family with a distinctive sculptural character suited to posters, album covers and cultural projects.
Classification
A display typeface derived from hand-carved tombstone lettering rooted in the Amsterdamse School tradition. Its sculptural, idiosyncratic letterforms and unconventional proportions place it firmly in the display category, with no structural affinity to conventional text type classifications.