Joh. Enschedé

The Noord-Hollands Archief opened a permanent exhibition dedicated to Joh. Enschedé, the legendary printing house that spent centuries producing the Netherlands’ banknotes, stamps, and typefaces.

A striking, five-meter-high glass façade creates a vibrant atmosphere, framing three heavy-hitting historical installations: an 18th-century printing press, a showcase of rare typefaces, and a massive banknote printer’s roll. By pairing interactive screens and physical games with a raw workshop environment, the exhibition strips away the stuffiness of archival history and invites people to actually touch the precision craftsmanship behind everyday objects.

I ran the visual direction and graphic layer, establishing the entire typographic system, color palette, and material choices from scratch. My focus was on building a tight visual identity where every label, case graphic, and display element felt like a natural extension of a master printer’s legacy.

When you are dealing with a five-meter window to decorate and delicate, centuries-old archival artifacts, you don’t get to use standard solutions. It required hyper-detailed production planning and custom-built cases to make sure the graphics and physical structures worked together perfectly. By acting as the bridge between the client and the production teams, I aligned the dense history of security printing with a modern visual identity that completely cuts through the potential heaviness of the topic.

• Led the graphic layer and art direction for a permanent heritage exhibition, balancing archival preservation with bold spatial design.
• Built a unified visual system across everything from small on-case labels to the massive glass façade.
• Translated high-security printing history into engaging learning touchpoints.
• Choreographed content, materials, and visual identity into a hands-on, workshop-style visitor journey.
• Recognized with an international award and multiple curated features in Behance galleries.