Last updated: 2 November 2026
Daan Rietbergen is a Dutch graphic designer and artist, born in 1988 and based in Utrecht, who builds whole alphabets on strict grids. Daan Rietbergen prints on CoolCuration start with E, a silver and green litho in an edition of 50 from the UK publisher OFFCUTS at £110. He also sells prints of his own letters direct, priced in euros.
Our take on Daan Rietbergen as an artist
Rietbergen started out writing graffiti as a teenager. Then he trained as a graphic designer and spent five years at Studio Dumbar in Rotterdam. His art brings those two lives together: letters drawn on a strict grid, painted on walls and steel as well as printed on paper.
Each of his typographic systems has its own name, such as Nespor, Vimeto or Rosdar, and its own rules. Nespor builds characters from meditative parallel lines on a grid, and STRAAT museum in Amsterdam says the white space around them matters as much as the letters themselves.
We list his work because it suits people who love type but want something on the wall that is not a poster for a band or a film. A single letter like E also works as a quiet monogram.
Daan Rietbergen: the essentials
- Born in 1988 in Baarn, in the Netherlands; lives and works in Utrecht (his own site).
- Studied on the foundation course at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam, then graphic design at AKV St. Joost in Den Bosch, graduating in 2014.
- Visual designer at Studio Dumbar from 2014 to 2019, where his Amsterdam Sinfonietta posters were shown at the Type Directors Club and the Chaumont poster festival. He has worked for himself since.
- His autonomous work is represented by Moving Gallery in Utrecht.
- His painting Nespor – G is in the permanent collection of STRAAT museum in Amsterdam.
- The Type Directors Club in New York gave him an Ascenders award in 2023, and his Nespor type specimen book was chosen as one of the Best Verzorgde Boeken, the Dutch best-designed books, in 2022.
Daan Rietbergen exhibitions: now on and recent
In 2026 he has shown at the Graphic Design Festival in Toruń, Poland, in the group show Form-Color-Space at Museum Eicas in Deventer, and at the Art on Paper and Paper Positions fairs with Moving Gallery. In 2025 he had solo shows at Vleck in Utrecht and Kelderman en van Noort in Eindhoven, and took part in the Shanghai Graphic Design Biennale.
His largest public piece we know of is Unseen, a 2022 painting in acrylic on steel, 2.1 x 6m (about 6ft 11in x 19ft 8in), made for the Urban Art Biennale at the Völklinger Hütte ironworks in Germany.
We found no UK exhibitions of his work. Follow @daan_rietbergen for new shows.
Where to buy Daan Rietbergen prints
The easiest one to buy in the UK is E, published by OFFCUTS. It is a litho in Pantone green and metallic silver, 70 x 50cm (27.6 x 19.7in), in an edition of 50, at £110 unframed. OFFCUTS charges in pounds and posts by Royal Mail.
He also sells direct from his own shop, by email rather than a checkout. Any letter or word in his systems can be ordered as an original or a fine art print:
- Nespor characters: an original fineliner drawing at A3 for €375 (about £313; convert it at today's rate), or a reproduction at A3 for €99 (about £83; convert it at today's rate) or 50 x 70cm for €199 (about £166; convert it at today's rate).
- Rosdar absent: a 50 x 70cm silkscreen, signed and numbered, edition of 25, €90 (about £75; convert it at today's rate).
- De Klassieker: a three-colour A2 silkscreen, signed and numbered, edition of 50, €60 (about £50; convert it at today's rate).
The pound figures use the European Central Bank rate of 30 October 2026.
Daan Rietbergen FAQs
Who is Daan Rietbergen?
A Dutch graphic designer and artist, born in 1988 and based in Utrecht. He worked at Studio Dumbar from 2014 to 2019 and now makes typographic art and design work under his own name.
Can I buy a Daan Rietbergen print in the UK?
Yes. OFFCUTS sells his E print for £110 in an edition of 50. He also takes orders by email for prints of his own letters, priced in euros.
What is Nespor?
His grid-based typographic project, where each character is built from parallel lines. It is the first project where he combined his graffiti background with graphic design.
Which gallery represents Daan Rietbergen?
Moving Gallery in Utrecht represents his autonomous work, and shows it at fairs such as Art on Paper in Amsterdam and Paper Positions in Berlin.
More from CoolCuration
- Patch:Work logo archive: a design book from OFFCUTS, the publisher of E.
- Peter Saville: another graphic designer whose work ends up on gallery walls.
- Gifts for designers: more presents for people who care about type.
- theprintspace discount code: money off framing for a 50 x 70cm print.
Think we’re missing something, got something wrong, or want to be featured? Contact us.
Main image: Daan Rietbergen, photo courtesy of the artist via Weltkulturerbe Völklinger Hütte (photographer not named). Exhibition dates, prices and edition details last checked: 2 November 2026.
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