Deimos

Erik Spiekermann

  • Typeface Design
  • Typography
  • Graphic Design
Contents 6 sections +

Contents

Overview

Erik Spiekermann is a German designer who works in type, information and graphic design. He was born on 30 May 1947 in Stadthagen, Lower Saxony.1,2,3 The Getty Union List of Artist Names identifies him as a German art historian born in 1947.4 He co-founded MetaDesign and FontShop.1,2,5

At a glanceSourced facts
20260924T110633 Erik Spiekermann NP
Plate I · Wikimedia CommonsErik Spiekermann (2026)Norman Posselt · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons

At a glance

Early life and education

Spiekermann has said that he moved to Berlin at age 16 and lived there independently for a couple of years.2 A profile reports that he left his art studies early and ran a basement print shop in Berlin before leaving in the early 1970s.1 He taught at the London College of Printing during the 1970s.2

Design career

Spiekermann has said that he worked for the London design firm Wolff Olins before establishing his own firms.2 He co-founded MetaDesign in Berlin in 1979; TOC Publishing describes it as Germany's largest design studio.5

Sources

  1. 1divine spark | Erik SpiekermannErik Spiekermann · Other · Tier C
  2. 2Erik SpiekermannOn my Om · Other · Tier C
  3. 3Erik Spiekermann: Internationally renowned typographer and designer from Germanyworkspiration.org · Other · Tier C
  4. 4ULAN Full Record Display (Getty Research)getty.edu · Universities & libraries · Tier B
  5. 5Erik Spiekermann | Find out how type works – TOC Publishing BerlinTOC Publishing Berlin · Other · Tier C

Fact-checked by multiple models via Vercel AI Gateway

Image plates

7 images · Wikimedia Commons

SpiekermannFaces
IISpecimens of types by the typeface deisgner Erik Spiekermann.GearedBull assumed (based on copyright claims). · Public domain
Meta-Schriftprobe
IIIMeta-SchriftprobeUser Tobias b köhler on de.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
FF Meta Pangram
IVFF Meta pangram in FF Meta-Regular.Inferno986return · CC BY-SA 4.0
Font Redesign- FF Meta Correspondence Pro
VFF Meta Correspondence Pro Designed by Erik Spiekermann Published by FontFontFontShop from USA · CC BY 2.0
Officina muster
VIOfficina musterThe original uploader was Sansculotte at German Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 3.0
Officinaserif
VIISchriftartenmuster der Officina serifBenutzer:Gaspard · Public domain
Officinasans
VIIISchriftartenmuster der Officina sansBenutzer:Gaspard · Public domain

Lifeline

1947–1979 · scroll to travel

  1. 1947

  2. 1947

  3. 1979

    “In 1979, Spiekermann co-founded MetaDesign in Berlin, and in the 1980s, at the cusp of the PC revolution, he co-founded FontShop, a distributor of electronic fonts.”Source: On my Om ↗

  4. 1979

    “Spiekermann founded MetaDesign in 1979 and worked for the graphic industry (Apple, Adobe, Linotype) mainly.”Source: Erik Spiekermann ↗

  5. 1979

5 dated events from this entry and its sources · Age: years since birth in 1947

Related designers