Ko Sliggers

Around 1980 Ko Sliggers (born in Bloemendaal, The Netherlands in 1952) was one of the iconoclastic young designers who contributed to what has become known as the 'Dumbar style'.

After two years at Studio Dumbar (1979-1981), Sliggers worked as an independent designer, became a professional cook in Rotterdam, Italy and France (1992-1995), switched back from food to design, producing challenging visuals at Studio Anthon Beeke (1996-1999) and in 2002 set up a one-man studio and foundry (Dutchfonts) in Lalleweer, in the northern province of Groningen.

Although he was trained by Chris Brand at the St.Joost Academy in Breda (1975-1979), Sliggers is not part of the Dutch tradition of literary, historically inspired type design. He creates fonts as a by-product of his graphic designs in order to give his work an unmistakable typographic identity. The fonts are partially based on, and inspired by found, vernacular letterforms. Dutchfonts fonts are typically Dutch in the sense that it combines precision and rationality with dada-like anarchism and irreverence.