Gerard Unger
Encyclopedia
Gerard Unger is a graphic
and type designer. He studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie
in Amsterdam
from 1963-67, and subsequently worked at Total Design, Prad and Joh. Enschedé
. In 1975, he established himself as an independent developer. He lives and works in in Bussum
, North Holland
.
s (usually typefaces with a large x-height and large inner counters), such as Swift, Gulliver, Coranto and Vesta. He also develops designs for magazine
s, coin
s, book
s, logo
s and stamps
.
A large number of Unger's typefaces are available from Linotype
and the Dutch Type Library. He has released new work on his own website since 1995. Unger has designed typefaces for the signage systems
of both the Dutch highways (ANWB-fonts) and the Amsterdam metro
. His newspaper face Gulliver (1993) is familiar to millions of readers, as it is the typeface used in both USA Today
and several European newspapers, including the Stuttgarter Zeitung
. Whilst his typeface Coranto is the typeface for The Scotsman
and Brazil
ian newspaper Valor
.
In addition to his work in type design, he is active in the field of education. Unger has taught at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie
for over 30 years, and since 1994, he is a visiting professor at the University of Reading
at the Department of Typography
and Graphic Communication
. He has been the first lecturer since 1 September 2006 at the Department of Fine Arts of the University of Leiden.
His most important publication is Terwijl je leest (1997) (the English translation is called While You're Reading). It later appeared in different languages, and in 2006 it was completely revised and reprinted. In 2004, he changed reading by speaking the Tiele-lecture (of the Dr. P.A. Tiele Stichting) under the title ′Veranderend lezen′ (rough translation: Transformed Reading).
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
and type designer. He studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie
Gerrit Rietveld Academie
-Profile:More than 45% of the student population comes from abroad, originating from over 60 different countries around the world. Most of the classes are in English...
in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
from 1963-67, and subsequently worked at Total Design, Prad and Joh. Enschedé
Joh. Enschedé
Royal Joh. Enschedé is a printer of security documents, stamps and banknotes based in Haarlem, Netherlands. Joh. Enschedé specialises in print, media & security. The company hosts the Museum Enschedé and has branches in Amsterdam, Brussels and Haarlem....
. In 1975, he established himself as an independent developer. He lives and works in in Bussum
Bussum
Bussum is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.-History:Bussum was first mentioned in 1306. In this time, Bussum was a large heathland with many small farms, sheep pens and forests as is shown on old maps. Since Bussum is situated near the fortified town...
, North Holland
North Holland
North Holland |West Frisian]]: Noard-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the northwest part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is Haarlem and its largest city is Amsterdam.-Geography:...
.
Work
Unger has developed many typefaces over the years, of which several specially developed for newspaperNewspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s (usually typefaces with a large x-height and large inner counters), such as Swift, Gulliver, Coranto and Vesta. He also develops designs for magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
s, coin
Coin
A coin is a piece of hard material that is standardized in weight, is produced in large quantities in order to facilitate trade, and primarily can be used as a legal tender token for commerce in the designated country, region, or territory....
s, book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s, logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
s and stamps
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
.
A large number of Unger's typefaces are available from Linotype
Linotype machine
The Linotype typesetting machine is a "line casting" machine used in printing. The name of the machine comes from the fact that it produces an entire line of metal type at once, hence a line-o'-type, a significant improvement over manual typesetting....
and the Dutch Type Library. He has released new work on his own website since 1995. Unger has designed typefaces for the signage systems
Signage systems
Signage systems are visually oriented information systems, consisting of signs, maps, arrows, color codings systems, pictograms and different typographic elements...
of both the Dutch highways (ANWB-fonts) and the Amsterdam metro
Amsterdam Metro
The Amsterdam Metro is a mixed rapid transit and light rail system in Amsterdam, and its surrounding municipalities Amstelveen, Diemen, and Ouder-Amstel in the Netherlands. The network is owned by the city of Amsterdam and operated by the Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf, the company that also operates...
. His newspaper face Gulliver (1993) is familiar to millions of readers, as it is the typeface used in both USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
and several European newspapers, including the Stuttgarter Zeitung
Stuttgarter Zeitung
The Stuttgarter Zeitung is a German-language daily newspaper edited in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, with a run of about 200,000 sold copies daily....
. Whilst his typeface Coranto is the typeface for The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian newspaper Valor
Valor
Valor or valour may mean:* Valor , by J. W. Cockerill* Courage, a similar meaning* Valor , roughly "courage in defense of a noble cause"* Valor , a DC Comics superhero...
.
In addition to his work in type design, he is active in the field of education. Unger has taught at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie
Gerrit Rietveld Academie
-Profile:More than 45% of the student population comes from abroad, originating from over 60 different countries around the world. Most of the classes are in English...
for over 30 years, and since 1994, he is a visiting professor at the University of Reading
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...
at the Department of Typography
Typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading , adjusting the spaces between groups of letters and adjusting the space between pairs of letters...
and Graphic Communication
Graphic Communication
Graphic communication as the name suggests is communication through graphics and graphical aids. It is the process of creating, producing, and distributing material incorporating words and images to convey data, concepts, and emotions....
. He has been the first lecturer since 1 September 2006 at the Department of Fine Arts of the University of Leiden.
His most important publication is Terwijl je leest (1997) (the English translation is called While You're Reading). It later appeared in different languages, and in 2006 it was completely revised and reprinted. In 2004, he changed reading by speaking the Tiele-lecture (of the Dr. P.A. Tiele Stichting) under the title ′Veranderend lezen′ (rough translation: Transformed Reading).
Typefaces designed by Unger
- Demos (1976/2001)
- Flora (1984)
- Swift (1985/1995)
- Amerigo (1986)
- Argo (1991)
- Gulliver (1993)
- ANWB-fonts (1997)
- Capitolium (1998)
- Paradox (1999)
- Coranto (2000)
- Vesta (2001)
- Capitolium News (2006)
Awards
Unger has received various awards, including the H.N. Werkman prize (1984) the Maurits Enschedé prize (1991) and in 2009 the SOTA Typography Award.Literature
- Gerard Unger, Letters, Uitgeverij De Buitenkant, Amsterdam, (1995) (ISBN 978-9070386696)
- Gerard Unger, Veranderend lezen, lezend veranderen, Walburg Pers, Zutphen (2004) (ISBN 9057303256)
- Gerard Unger, While You're Reading, Mark Batty PublisherMark Batty PublisherMark Batty Publisher is an independent book publishing company specializing in illustrated books on the art of communication: photography, art and design, graffiti and urban art; pop culture, typography and other related topics...
, New York, (2006) (ISBN 978-0976224518) - Gerard Unger, Typography as Vehicle of Science, Uitgeverij de Buitenkant, Amsterdam (2007) (ISBN 978 90 76452 67 8)