Wilhelmina
Brutal Types · Ramiro Espinoza · 2025
A revival of a near-vanished Amsterdam glass-signage tradition, based on lettering documented on the façade of the Billardfabriek Wilhelmina and spread by a small group of identified Dutch sign painters.
About
Ramiro Espinoza began the design in 2015 after researching Piet Schreuders' essay 'Letters van Glas', which documented a distinctive style of window lettering once common across Amsterdam's businesses. The revival sat unpublished for a decade before the founding of Brutal Types provided the right context for its release in 2025. Available in a single style, it suits poster work, museum communications, architecture publishing and any project with a connection to Dutch urban culture.
Classification
A revival of hand-lettered glass signage from Amsterdam storefronts, the letterforms derive from a regional sign-painting tradition rather than any typographic genre, placing it firmly in display territory.