Áncora y Delfín

Disseny Hub Barcelona to restore the Áncora y Delfín bookstore sign for safekeeping in the heritage fund of the Gabinet de les Arts Gràfiques de Barcelona.

The bulky sign was removed on 18 February and will subsequently be sent to the stacks at the Gabinet de les Arts Gràfiques de Barcelona, in the Palau de Pedralbes, where it will be examined prior to its restoration. Together with the Museu de les Arts Decoratives and the Museu Tèxtil i d’Indumentària, the Gabinet de les Arts Gràfiques forms part of Disseny Hub Barcelona (DHUB). In the near future, the latter’s collections and services will be moved to a building currently under construction in the plaça de les Glòries.

After over half a century of serving its readership, the historic bookstore, Áncora y Delfín, located on Barcelona’s Avinguda Diagonal 564, closed down last January. This illustrious establishment, which opened in 1956, was affected by changes in the sector and business models, as well as the rise of new channels for cultural consumption.

One of the most emblematic features of this bookstore was its corporative typography design, produced in the fifties by the interior designer, Erwin Bechtold, who worked for Editorial Destino at the time. His design was applied to all their stationery (writing paper, cards, etc.), as well as to the large sign over the store entrance. Over the years, this sign became part and parcel of the city’s commercial landscape.

Given this typographical design’s inherent value, both unique and exclusive to the Barcelona bookstore, the Gabinet de les Arts Gràfiques de Barcelona decided to rescue several elements before they deteriorated or vanished altogether after the business closed down. This includes elements to which the typography was applied, including the aforementioned shop sign, donated by the store’s owner, Sra. Eulàlia Teixidor.