Friedrich Theodor Vischer
Literature expert, author, politician1807-1887From 1825 to 1830 Friedrich Theodor Vischer, born in 1807 as the son of a minister, studied theology and philosophy in Tübingen and gained his doctorate in 1836 in aesthetics and literature. He became an associate professor in 1837, and full professor in1844.
Johann Jacob Weber
A Leipzig newspaper publisher banks on the power of images1803-1880Though born of humble circumstances, when the book dealer Johann Jacob Weber finally settled in Leipzig in 1830, he brought a wealth of experience to the task. He had apprenticed with E. Thurneysen in Basel, then worked as an assistant in Paris before working for Breitkopf & Härtel in Leipzig and Herder in Freiburg.
Georg Friedrich Wehrs
The paper researcher1750-1818Born in Hanover, Georg Friedrich Wehrs studied jurisprudence in Göttingen before working as an advocate and then a notary. He had an influence as a supervisor at the Intelligenz-Comtoir in Hanover and at the same time as an agent for Bremen und Mecklenburg-Strelitz. As a result he made a name for himself as an economic writer.
Emil Rudolf Weiß
Holistic book design in the early 20th century1875-1942For over half a century, Emil Rudolf Weiß ranked as the most important book artist in Germany. His work not only involved every aspect of the book design process – typesetting, typeface, illustration, cover and dust jacket design – but he also regularly published his own poetic texts, thereby producing complete works of art.
Gert Wiescher
Font designer, author and creator of GlyphArt*1944Gert Wiescher was born in 1944 in the Swabian Kochertal region. After completing his schooling he travelled to Paris where he made a living as a freelance artist. From 1967 to 1968 he studied at the University of the Arts in Berlin, where he came into contact with the already passionate “typomaniac” Erik Spiekermann, who in turn inspired Wiescher to take up a career in typographical design.
Hermann Zapf
German font design with international standing1918-2015Hermann Zapf’s passion for typeface design can be traced back to his apprenticeship as a retoucher. After spending his youth in Nuremberg he moved to Frakfurt in 1938 and in the same year began developing typefaces.
Konrad Zuse
A computer pioneer from Germany1910-1995Konrad Zuse studied machine building, architecture and construction engineering at the Technical College of Berlin and, after completing his studies, he worked as a structural engineer at the Henschel aeroplane plant. Driven by the aim to make structural calculations as quickly as possible he decided to set off on an independent path as an inventor one year later and set up a workshop in his parents’ flat.
