SOTA Honors Gerrit Noordzij in Den Haag

Members of the Society of Typographic Aficionados traveled to Den Haag (The Hague) in The Netherlands to honor the great Dutch designer Gerrit Noordzij, winner of the 2008 SOTA Typography Award. SOTA chairman, James Grieshaber, presented the award to Mr. Noordzij on March 6th during a three day typographic event held at the Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten (KABK).

The afternoon was filled with celebration. The awards presentation concluded the two-day Robothon conference, where 120 type designers from all over the world gathered to learn more about advancements in tools and technologies for designing and producing typefaces.

Tobias Frere-Jones, winner of the 2006 Noordzij prize, presented the 2009 Noordzij Prize to another legendary Dutch designer, Wim Crouwel. After Mr. Crouwel received a beautiful award designed by Mr. Frere-Jones and featuring his Gotham typeface, Mr. Grieshaber presented Mr. Noordzij with SOTA’s crystal goblet. The SOTA Typography Award is presented each year to a distinguished member of the type community.

Our gracious hosts at the KABK collaborated in producing a wonderful exhibition of Mr. Noordzij’s work in the lobby of the Academy, leading into an exhibition of Mr. Frere-Jones’s typographic achievements. Special thanks to Jan Willem Stas, Erik van Blokland, and Jan Middendorp. SOTA was proud to be part of this exciting event.

Photo Copyright © Eben Sorkin. All right reserved.