Erik Spiekermann: Hello, I am Erik
A new title provides an in-depth look at one of the world’s most well-known typographers: Erik Spiekermann.
Spiekermann’s influence on contemporary graphic design is unparalleled. He also represents German typeface and corporate design like no other. Spiekermann’s lengthy career has given him an understanding of the origins of type design and the process of letterpress printing in the pre-digital age.
With his design of guidance systems for the Berliner Vekehrsbetriebe (Berlin’s transportation authority) and Düsseldorf Airport as well as his typeface design for Deutsche Bahn (Germany’s national rail system), Spiekermann made sure that not only Germans could find their way around. His corporate identities for brands such as Audi, Volkswagen and Bosch, have also helped establish a sensibility for corporate design in Germany.
When Spiekermann founded FontShop International with his wife Joan and Neville Brody, he helped establish the Internet as a source for buying fonts. His typefaces FF Meta and ITC Officina have been bestsellers for years and are considered modern classics by typographers worldwide.
Hello, I am Erik is the first-ever visual biography of Erik Spiekermann’s work. The title documents his projects, traces milestones in his life and offers his personal perspectives on design. Essays from other champions of graphic design including Michael Bierut, Neville Brody, Mirko Porsche, Wally Olins, Stefan Sagmeister, Christian Schwartz, Erik van Blokland provide a context for the vivid presentation of his body of work.
The title was edited, written, and designed by Johannes Erler in close cooperation with Erik Spiekermann. Erler himself is known as one of Germany’s top designers and has created and managed the corporate identities of some of the country’s leading brands and institutions with his agency Factor Design including Wempe, Deutsches Theater, and Süddeutsche Zeitung.
Hello, I am Erik is available through Gestalten in Europe and through Manic in Australia.
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