Gerard Unger
Dutch typographer Dr. Gerard Unger has created some of the world’s most influential typefaces for over five decades. Unger is the thirtieth recipient in the fifty-year history of the TDC Medal, which was first awarded to Hermann Zapf in 1967 to honor his contributions to typography.
According to TDC board member Dan Rhatigan of Adobe Typekit, “Gerard has been very influential as a typeface designer, since his work has had an impact in so many contexts, but his legacy as a beloved teacher of additional generations of type designers may prove to have even further reach. We unanimously decided to give him the TDC Medal to shine a light on his influence and accomplishments.”
Unger’s body of work includes typefaces designed specifically for magazines, books, and newspapers, including USA Today. He has designed typefaces for the Dutch highway sign systems and the Amsterdam transit system.
For more, read the TDC’s announcement about this award, which he received July 18, 2017 at The Cooper Union in New York City at the 2017 awards night for the Type Directors Club annual typography competition. Watch the video of the entire event and the presentation of this award to Dr. Unger here, or watch the short video created by Strange Attractors Design in Rotterdam to summarize Dr. Unger’s importance to the type community.
To see examples of Dr. Unger’s work, visit his website.
