Rudolf Koch – born 20.11.1876 in Nuremberg, Germany, died 9.4.1934 in Offenbach, Germany – type designer, typographer, calligrapher, teacher.
1892-96: trains as an engraver in Hanau. 1896-97: trains as an art teacher at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Nuremberg and at the Technische Hochschule in Munich.
1911-24: publishes the "Rudolfinische Drucke" with Rudolf Gerstung. 1921: founds the Offenbacher Werkgemeinschaft at the Technische Lehranstalt Offenbach. 1930: is awarded a honorary doctorate by the faculty of Evangelical theology at the University of Munich. 1934: Koch’s work is caried on by his son Paul (died 1943) who runs a workshop in Frankfurt.
Fonts: Deutsche Schrift (1906-21), Maximilian Antiqua (1913-17), Frühling (1913-17), (1920-26), (1922), Deutsche Zierschrift (1921), (1922-23), Deutsche Anzeigenschrift (1923-34) Peter-Jessen-Schrift (1924-30), Wallau (1925-34), (1927), Offenbach (1928), Zeppelin (1929), Marathon (1930-38), Claudius (1931-34), Prisma (1931), Holla (1932), Grotesk-Initialien (1933), Koch Kurrent (1933), Neufraktur (1933-34).
Publications include: "Die Schriftgießerei im Schattenbild", Offenbach 1918; "Das Schreiben als Kunstfertigkeit", Leipzig 1921; "Das ABC-Büchlein", Leipzig 1934; "Das Schreibbüchlein", Kassel 1939. Georg Haupt "Rudolf Koch der Schreiber", Leipzig 1936; Wilhelm H. Lange "Rudolf Koch, ein deutscher Schreibmeister", Berlin, Leipzig 1938; Oskar Beyer "Rudolf Koch. Mensch, Schriftgestalter und Erneuerer des Handwerks", Berlin 1949.
* TYPOGRAPHY – An Encyclopedic Survey of Type Design and Techniques Throughout History by Friedrich Friedl, Nicolaus Ott (Editor), Bernard Stein, published by Könemann Verlagsgesellschaft mbH.
Wilhelm Klingspor Gotisch, Koch Antiqua, Neuland and Kabel are trademarks of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, which may be registered in certain jurisdictions, exclusively licensed through Linotype GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG.
