Adrian Frutiger is dead
Adrian Frutiger, a Swiss typeface designer, died on Saturday at the age of 87.
Andreas Kaufmann, mayor of Bremgarten near Bern, confirmed Frutiger’s death to the SDA news agency on Saturday evening. Frutiger is considered one of the most important typeface designers of the 20th century. He was born in 1928 in Unterseen in the Bernese Oberland. In 1962, he founded a graphic design studio near Paris. In addition to the globally used «Frutiger,» his two best-known typefaces are «Univers» and «Roissy.» The latter is an early version of «Frutiger,» which has been used on traffic signs in Switzerland since 2003. Frutiger designed numerous other typefaces, including «Centennial» and «Serifa.».
Frutiger had been «very ill» for some time, said Rona Sommer, spokesperson for the German publishing house Römerweg, when asked on Saturday evening. Marixverlag, based there, had published, among other works, Frutiger’s book *Der Mensch und seine Zeichen* (*Man and His Signs*). According to the publisher, this book has since become a standard reference for anyone interested in exploring the phenomenon of signs and symbols in the development of typefaces. Another book project titled «Der Schriften-Atlas» had been «in the planning stages,» Sommer added. Unfortunately, this project will no longer come to fruition. Out of consideration for his family, she chose to confirm his death only indirectly.
In 2003, Frutiger published his autobiography, *A Life Dedicated to Type—From Interlaken to Paris*. It traces Frutiger’s journey from typesetter in Interlaken to one of the most respected experts in type design.
After completing his apprenticeship at the Otto Schlaefli book and art printing house in Interlaken (now Schlaefli & Maurer Publishing), Frutiger attended the Zurich School of Applied Arts. In 1952, he moved to Paris, where he helped develop the first phototypesetting machine at the Deberny & Peignot type foundry. In the 1950s, Frutiger created the Univers typeface family and later adapted it for use in electronic typesetting. Other typefaces, such as Frutiger, followed. After returning to Switzerland, Frutiger lived and worked in Bremgarten near Bern. He received numerous awards for his work. (SDA)
