Holger Jacobs

Holger Jacobs serves as Professor and Chair of the Departmental Council for Typography / Design at HSD University of Applied Sciences in Düsseldorf. A German-English typographer and graphic designer, he has shaped experimental typography education since 2011 while investigating the relationship between body and text through his teaching and research.

His research focuses on the physical and conceptual intersection of language and typography, emphasizing how textual forms interact with human embodiment. Jacobs explores sculptural poetry, ambiguous bodies in typographic expression, and the translation of bodily movement into written forms. His work challenges conventional boundaries between reading, writing, and physical experience through projects examining textual traces, chromatic illusions, and fluid typographic bodies.

Scientific awards include none documented in the provided materials. Jacobs previously ran the multidisciplinary Mind Design studio in London for 20 years before largely stepping away from commercial work in 2017 at age 50 to concentrate on academic pursuits. He has supervised numerous student projects spanning typographic experiments, urban atmospheres, and experimental publications.

His teaching fosters innovative approaches to typography through workshops like Type Club, Type Cast, and Folding Type Animations. Jacobs has guided students in creating diverse works including woodworm text experiments, empathy flow videos, and typographic installations that transform spatial relationships. His influence extends through student exhibitions such as Werkschau 2024 and Body-Text-Bodytext exhibitions that demonstrate the physical dimensions of textual communication.