Akke Kumlien (1884–1949) was a Swedish calligrapher, typographer, graphic designer, type designer, painter, and arts material expert. He is the author of many books, including Bokstav och ande (The Letter and the Spirit), Kunstneren og bokkunsten (Artist and Book Art), and some poetry volumes. His calligraphy-influenced book designs remain quite famous in Sweden, where many consider him to be the main innovator in lifting Swedish book design from industrial standards to typographic art levels in the early 20th century. Kumlien studied the history of arts and literature at Uppsala University, which later bestowed on him an honorary doctorate. He was also the founder of the Institute for Research of Materials at the Royal Academy of Arts in Stockholm, the head of the Thiel Gallery's renown art collection, and the main artistic consultant at P. A. Norstedt & Sons, the royal printing house. He was friends with many influential German designers, including Walter Tiemann, Rudolf Weiss, Peter Behrens and Hugo Steiner-Prag.