45 Designers// Typography

STEFAN SAGMEISTER (1962-) is among today’s most important graphic designers. Born in 

Austria, he now lives and works in New York. His long-standing collaborators include the 

AIGA and musicians, David Byrne and Lou Reed.

Helvetica was developed in 1957 by Max Miedinger with Eduard Hoffmann at the Haas'sche Schriftgiesserei (Haas type foundry) of Münchenstein, Switzerland. Haas set out to design a new sans-serif typeface that could compete with the successful Akzidenz-Grotesk in the Swiss market. Originally called Neue Haas Grotesk, its design was based onSchelter-Grotesk and Haas’ Normal Grotesk. The aim of the new design was to create a neutral typeface that had great clarity, no intrinsic meaning in its form, and could be used on a wide variety of signage.

Erik Spiekermann (born May 30, 1947 in Stadthagen, Lower Saxony) is a German typographer and designer. He is a professor at the University of the Arts Bremen.  Spiekermann studied art history at Berlin's Free University, funding himself by running a letterpress printing press in the basement of his house.  Between 1972 and 1979, he worked as a freelance graphic designer in London before returning to Berlin and founding MetaDesign with two partners.

Si Scott – Hailing from Leeds, UK, Si Scott has developed a bit of a cult following online. He’s currently working with a few small design firms. His work demonstrates his taste for the ornate; it combines hand-drawn elements with modern font-making technologies.

Ed Fella (born 1938 in Detroit) is an artist, educator and graphic designer whose work has had an important influence on contemporary typography. Ed worked as a commercial artist designing brochures and illustrations. He practiced professionally as a commercial artist in Detroit for 30 years before receiving an MFA in Design from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1987.