Jan Middendorp has died.

James Puckett

Friends of Jan Middendorp have shared news of his passing. He will be missed by many.

John Hudson

Saddened to hear that. He was always good company, and his Dutch Type book and other writings remain worth reading long after they were first published. His illness took a toll on his mobility, so I cherish all the more the memory of watching him salsa dance once at a conference.

Nick Shinn

My favourite memory: Jan performing “Rocky Racoon” (from the Beatles’ White Album), accompanying himself on guitar. 

Mark Simonson

I saw that. Very sad to see him go. There was a nice tribute to him at ATypI this year where he was awarded the TDC Medal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoyCV5hzAWc

Nick Shinn

Here is some of Jan’s freelance work.
He certainly raised the tone of font marketing.

Chris Lozos

Patrick Griffin

One thing not many people mention about Jan is his guitar playing talent. In 2008 he stayed at my place for a few days before we drove to Buffalo for Typecon. He taught me to play a couple of obscure songs by Harry Nilsson, his favourite musician. He really loved music and was very good at it. Before he got into writing about type, he was a theatre and music reporter, which may have nurtured his later knack for accurately relaying type design's reference to the culture around it.

It's great to see that Shaping Text has deservedly become a solid typography textbook in recent years. I remember when he was working on that book. He was like a man possessed with building an opus. I think most of us who knew Jan feel fortunate to have crossed paths with him, both personally and professionally.

Casper de With

When I was 15, I noticed his book De vorm van tekst in a local library, and borrowed it – the first book I ever borrowed. It was a fantastic book. Had I not read it, I don’t think I would have been the typography enthusiast that I am today. So I’m grateful for his work, and sad to hear that he has passed away.

Marc Foley

A sad day for the industry.

I was lucky to meet him on multiple occasions when I lived in Berlin. He once invited me round for dinner and I had a fabulous time. As Patrick pointed out, I was taken aback by his knowledge on music, which basically spanned any genre you could think of. I distinctly remember chatting to him about the ambient pioneers Brian Eno, Harold Budd, Richter etc. I remember his flat was filled with records and type ephemera.

His generosity didn't just end with dinners and social stuff. He often sent me recommendations and work my way. I am truly grateful for that and I'm sure he's done the same for many others,

Rip Jan.

Stephen Coles

Jan had the title “Type Writer” on his business card. I always wanted to emulate that career, and will probably spend the rest of mine trying to live up to his.

Jamie Clarke

I never met Jan, but I did have the pleasure of interviewing the interviewer in 2014, for 8Faces magazine. He also kindly reviewed my first typeface, Brim Narrow, in 2015.
He was very generous with his time and enthusiasm on both occasions. 

Florian Hardwig

Jan will be put to rest in Leiden, the Netherlands. There will be a memorial service in Berlin-Kreuzberg, Germany, which was Jan’s home for many years. It will take place on 9 January 2024, 1pm, in the chapel of Alter Luisenstädtischer Friedhof.

Nadine Chahine

So sad to hear the news. Jan was a titan of words and it's such a loss to our community and to all of us who were friends with him. But the thing about writers is, they never really pass on. Their words remain, and Jan has contributed so much to typographic knowledge and literature. His work lives on. RIP Jan.