Designer of Today: Erik Spiekermann

Fast-forward to appreciate contemporary designers—I’ll begin with a brilliant typographer since this is an interest of mine and since much of the world takes types and fonts for granted (which only proves how extensive, essential and adaptable they are).

Award-winning typographer Erik Spiekermann has created several important typefaces,both on his own and with fellow designers. He works from his native Germany as well as previously in the U.S. and U.K. and his type-family innovations contribute to the design world and the planet at large and have been well received, with his conceptions being used by large corporations, by publishing houses, and by pretty much everything in between.

An example of recent corporate type design is that of the

German railways—Deutsche Bahn—which Spiekermann designed with Christian Schwartz and that received the highest design award in Germany in 2006,  the Federal Design Prize Gold Medal. Other kinds of design by Mr Spiekermann include  underground transit maps.

Mr Spiekermann founded MetaDesign and FontShop in earlier years. During his FontShop years, the FontFont typefaces were designed and the firm was the first mail-order firm for digital fonts, way back in 1989.  At MetaDesign, types were created for Berlin Transit, Audi, The Economist,  Düsseldorf Airport and other large corporations.

As well as being a designer Mr Spiekermann is a professor and author. His current company is Edenspiekermann. He has won such awards as the Gerrit Noordzij in 2003, European Design in 2007 and many others including a Lifetime Achievement award in 2011 and an honorary Royal Designer award; as well, he is the first designer to be chosen for the European Design Awards Hall of Fame.

Trivia Break: New York’s Museum of Modern Art, MoMA, acquired
FF Meta, Spiekermann’s best-known typeface, for its collection.

“Encountering the Deutsche Bahn brand should be pleasant and uncomplicated…as clear a visual image as possible. Edenspiekermann analysed all means of communication and how best to apply them. How, for instance, should maps and travel information leaflets on trains be presented? Are the contents easy to understand for customers?

The new design system by Edenspiekermann reinforces the visual identity…of guaranteeing consistent quality – from buying an online train ticket through to the platform staff. In addition this allows all other DB activities (acquisitions, investments, collaborations, joint ventures etc.) to be easily integrated under the umbrella brand.”

Erik Spiekermann