The renowned master craftsman, Günter Gerhard Lange, was born on April 12, 1921, in Frankfurt-an-der-Oder, Germany. He began military service at 18 but was seriously injured in France only a year after the outbreak of World War II, which led to his medical discharge from the German army.
Beginning in 1941, Lange studied at the Akademie für Graphische Künste und Buchgewerbe in Leipzig, where he focused on calligraphy, typesetting, and printing under Professor Georg Belwe. After graduating in 1945, Lange worked as an assistant to Professor Walter Tiemann at the Leipzig Institute, while also working as a freelance graphic artist and painter.
In 1949, Lange moved to Berlin and resumed his studies at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste. From October 1, 1950, Lange returned to freelance work and began a long association with the H. Berthold type foundry in Berlin. Lange produced his first typeface designs for Berthold in the 1950s. During this time, he also served as a lecturer in typography at the Meisterschule für Grafik und Buchgewerbe in Berlin from 1955 to 1960.
In 1961, Berthold appointed Lange as its artistic director. He was appointed to the board of directors of Berthold in 1971, further emphasizing the importance of type at the company. As the driving force behind Berthold's type program from 1961 to 1990, Lange was responsible for the creation, meticulous production standards, and high quality of each of the Berthold Exklusivs.
Lange's type designs include his classic revivals: AG Book, AG Old Face, Berthold Garamond, Berthold Baskerville Book, Berthold Bodoni Old Face, Berthold Caslon Book, and Berthold Walbaum Book. His original designs include Arena New, Boulevard, Champion, Concorde, Concorde Nova, El Greco, Imago, and Whittingham. Lange's skill and craftsmanship elevated Berthold's type program, making it one of the most significant libraries in the world.
In addition to his work at Berthold, Lange continued to teach typography and graphic design. He taught at several schools, including Kunstschule Alsterdamm in Hamburg (from 1972), Werbliche Akademie in Munich (from 1973), and Lehrinstitut für Graphische Gestaltung in Munich (from 1974).
Lange retired from Berthold in 1990 but remained active in lecturing and teaching typography and design. After 10 years of retirement, Lange resumed his design activities with Berthold (Whittingham, Imago Expert) and later served as an exclusive artistic consultant to the company. His return to Berthold played a crucial role in the continued development of the Berthold Exklusiv Collection and solidified Berthold's position as a leading, independent type foundry.
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