TDC Honors Günter Gerhard Lange
On September 22, 2000 the Type Directors Club of New York presented internationally acclaimed type designer, Günter Gerhard Lange, the Medal of the Type Directors Club, which is awarded in recognition of outstanding contributions to typographic excellence. In front of a packed audience at the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst (Leipzig, Germany), Lange graciously accepted the coveted TDC medal following a tribute to Lange's legendary career by former Berthold designer, Erik Spiekermann (Berliner Grotesk, Lo-Type).

Lange was born on April 12, 1921 in Frankfurt-an-der-Oder, Germany. He began military service at 18 and was seriously injured in France only a year after the outbreak of World War II leading to his medical discharge from the Germany army. Beginning in 1941, Lange studied at the Akademie für Graphische Künste und Buchgewerbe in Leipzig. There he studied calligraphy, and typesetting and printing with Professor Georg Belwe. Following his graduation in 1945, Lange served as an assistant to Prof Walter Tiemann at the Leipzig Institute, and worked as a freelance graphic artist and painter. In 1949 Lange moved to Berlin and resumed his studies at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste.

Beginning October 1, 1950, Lange returned to freelance work and began his association with the H. Berthold type foundry of Berlin. Lange produced his first typeface designs in the 1950s for Berthold. While continuing his freelance work, Lange also served from 1955-60 as a lecturer of typography at the Meisterschule für Grafik und Buchwerbe in Berlin. In 1961 H. Berthold appointed Lange as H. Berthold's artistic director. Lange was appointed to the board of directors of H. Berthold in 1971, confirming the importance of type at Berthold.

As the force behind Berthold’s type program from 1961 to 1990, Lange was responsible for the creation, meticulous production standards and attention to quality found in each of the Berthold Exklusivs. Lange's type designs include his classic revivals: AG Book, AG Old Face, Berthold Baskerville Book, Berthold Bodoni Old Face, Berthold Caslon Book, Berthold Garamond, and Berthold Walbaum Book; as well as his original designs: Arena New, Boulevard, Champion, Concorde, Concorde Nova, El Greco and Imago. G.G. Lange's skill and craftsmanship elevated Berthold's type program producing one of the most significant libraries in the world.

In addition to his own type creation and art direction for Berthold, Lange continued to teach typography and graphic designs. Some of these schools include: the Kunstschule Alsterdamm in Hamburg (from 1972); the Werbliche Akademie in Munich (from 1973); and, the Lehristitut für Graphische Gestaltung in Munich (from 1974).

Lange retired from Berthold in 1990, yet remained active in lecturing and teaching typography and design. After 10 years of retirement, Lange recently resumed his design activities with Berthold (Whittingham, Imago Expert), and now serves as exclusive artistic consultant to Berthold. Lange's reunion with Berthold provides an indispensible element in the continued development of the Berthold Exklusiv Collection and solidifies Berthold's position as a leading type foundry.