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Günter Gerhard Lange

Known to his peers as GGL. German type designer, born in Frankfurt-an-der-Oder in 1921, d. 2008. He fought in World War II and lost his leg in a battle in France. Starting in 1941, Lange studied as apprentice of Georg Belwe at the Academy of Graphic and Book Arts in Leipzig. After graduation in 1945, until 1949, he was assistant of Professor Walter Tiemann, while also practicing painting and graphic design independently. In 1949, he continued his studies with Professors Hans Ullmann and Paul Strecker at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in West Berlin. From 1950 onwards, he worked at Berthold AG in Berlin, where he designed his first type, Arena in 1951. In 1955, he became Reader in Typography at the Meisterschule für Graphik, Druck und Werbung in West Berlin. One of his many students was Manfred Klein. He also was Advisor in Visual Communications and Reader at the U5 Academy of Graphic Design and Art Direction Munich, and Instructor at the School of Applied Art in Vienna. H. Berthold AG's artistic director from 1961 to 1990, Lange was responsible for the creation and meticulous production of many of Berthold's typefaces. According to Dieter Hofrichter, his motto was 8 point is the moment of truth (when proofing typefaces). In 1989 he received the Frederic W. Goudy Award from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Recipient of the year 2000 TDC medal. After ten years of retirement from his position as Berthold AG's artistic director, Lange resumed his design activities in 2000 at Bertholdtypes (now Berthold Direct Inc) in Chicago. Bio at ATypI.

Lange's own designs include his revivals of many classical typefaces. Here is a list, all Berthold typefaces:

• Akzidenz Grotesk AG Book (1969-1972; see Atkins on the SoftMaker MegaFont XXL CD, 2002), AG Book Stencil Pro, AG Old Face (1984), AG Schoolbook.
• Arena (1951-1959): a condensed stocky roman. Now called Arena New.
• Berthold Baskerville (1961). Berthold Baskerville Book appeared in 1980.
• Berthold Bodoni Old Face (1983; see Giambattista on the SoftMaker MegaFont XXL CD, 2002).
• Bodoni Antiqua (1935).
• Boulevard (Berthold, 1955). Imitated by Opticast (Brandenburg), Greenstreet (Koepenick), Lanston (Francis No.982) and in Regency. Boulevard was revived digitally by P22 as LTC Francis in 2018.
• Caslon Buch (1977).
• Champion (1957, a paint brush typeface revived in 2010 by Ray Larabie as Gloss).
• Concorde (1969; see C791 Roman on the SoftMaker MegaFont XXL CD, 2002, CJ by Itek, Chinchilla by Scangraphic, Transport by Varityper, Contus by URW, Dutch 809 by Bitstream, and Concept by SoftMaker), Concorde Nova.
• Deepdene (1982-1983), a revival of Frederick Goudy's Deepdene of 1927-1934.
• Derby (1952-1953). This script typeface was digitally revived by Gerhard Helzel, and in 2019 by Ralph M. Unger as Turnier.
• El Greco (1964).
• Franklin Antiqua (1976; see F820 Roman on the SoftMaker MegaFont XXL CD, 2002).
• Berthold Garamond (1972).
• Imago (1982).
• Publica. This Peignotian sans typeface was the source of inspiration for Ralph M. Unger's Bravura Pro (2013).
• Berthold Script (1977; see B690 Script on the SoftMaker MegaFont XXL CD, 2002).
• Solemnis (1952-1953, refreshed in 2003; a hybrid uncial remade by Harold Lohner in 2000).
• Walbaum Buch (1975) and Walbaum Standard (1976).
• Whittingham (with Dieter Hofrichter, 2000).

Yvonne Schwemer-Scheddin writes a day after his death: Dear type friends, yesterday morning, the 2nd of December 2008, Günter Gerhard Lange died, 87 years old. We lost an upright, steadfast fighter for quality in type design. Not only Berthold's artistic director, but a friend and objective adviser to many who needed personal help or an evaluation in type design. GGL was Berthold. For Berthold GGL "enhanced" many type designs of other well known type designers. His valued critizism was a great help, because it came from a positively tuned man. GGL transferred the lead heritage and its classical type typefaces into photocomposition and into the digital format on a high aesthetic and historically authentic level - as for instance Garamond or Van Dijk. Akzidenz-Grotesk is not thinkable without GGL. Bodoni Old Face one of the best contemporary text typefaces. With his sans serif Imago you can be different and yet classical. And the Americans should be pleased with the revival of Deepdene, which he also turned into a well working textface with a distinct character. But perhaps most important of all, he relentlessly encouraged the young, teaching and talking up to almost the end. Thus opening fences, eyes and hearts to art, architecture, literature and for the values of studies and love for the correct details without which the whole would not function. He was a rare communicator, because he lived his convictions and values. He became an example, a light of orientation. We lost a passionate type lover and expert---an authentic man. An era has come irreversible to its end.

Credit for some images below: Danielle West.

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Type designers ⦿ Type designers ⦿ Stencil fonts ⦿ Manfred Klein ⦿ Type scene in Illinois ⦿ German type scene ⦿ Brush script typefaces ⦿ Modern style [Bodoni, Didot, Walbaum, Thorowgood, Computer Modern, etc.] ⦿ Uncial typefaces ⦿ Garalde or Garamond typefaces ⦿ Akzidenz Grotesk ⦿ Caslon ⦿ Frederic William Goudy ⦿ Baskerville ⦿