About

The H. Berthold typefoundry, renowned for crafting high-quality typefaces, was founded in 1858 by Hermann Berthold in Berlin. By 1918 the foundry had become the largest in the world, with offices in Stuttgart, St. Petersburg, Leipzig, Riga, Budapest and Vienna. Following World War II, Berthold actively developed proprietary typesetting equipment: in the 1950s, Berthold unveiled its first phototypesetting machine, the Diatype; and in the 1960s, Berthold introduced the Diatronic, its first keyboard-controlled phototypesetting for volume production. 

To complement its proprietary typesetting equipment business activities, Berthold developed high quality typefaces. The H. Berthold foundry's most celebrated family of typefaces is arguably Akzidenz-Grotesk (released 1896), known as the mother of all sans serifs.

During the 20th Century, the Berthold typefoundry developed the Berthold Exklusiv Collection, a collection of typefaces created solely for Berthold by distinguished designers. Günter Gerhard Lange, renowned master craftsman, began his association with Berthold around the same time Berthold entered phototype. As artistic director from 1961 to 1990, Lange was responsible for the creation, meticulous production standards and attention to quality found in each of the Berthold Exklusivs. In 1991, Bernd Möllenstädt succeeded Lange as the type director for the Berthold Exklusiv Collection and continued Lange’s tradition when directing the digitization of the Berthold Exklusivs.

In 1997 Berthold Types, a Chicago-based company, acquired all of the copyright, trademark and design rights associated with the Berthold Exklusiv Collection. Until Günter Gerhard Lange’s death in 2008, he continued as an exclusive artistic consultant for Berthold Types Limited, in which capacity he continued to develop and design new Berthold typefaces. Berthold Types continues the tradition....

In 2022 Monotype acquired Berthold’s historic typefaces which will become part of one of the world’s largest type foundries. “Our stewardship will increase global visibility for Berthold’s inventory, celebrate its legacy and get these important typefaces in the hands of more creatives. But more than that, this acquisition ensures iconic type families including Akzidenz Grotesk®, Imago ®, and Formata® remain as accessible and relevant as other historic typeface families in the Monotype library  such as Helvetica® Now, Gotham®, and Neue Frutiger®.”

— Ninan Chacko CEO of Monotype.

Read the full press release to learn more.

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