Editing Adrian Frutiger

{{short description|Swiss typeface designer (1928–2015)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Adrian Frutiger
| image              = Adrian Frutiger 2002 by Henk Gianotten.jpg
| caption            = Frutiger in 2002
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1928|5|24|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Unterseen]], Switzerland
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|2015|9|10|1928|5|24|df=y}}
| death_place        = [[Bremgarten bei Bern]], Switzerland
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Paulette Flückiger|1952|1954|end=d.}}
* {{marriage|Simone Bickel|1955}}
}}
| children           = 3
| alma_mater         = [[Kunstgewerbeschule Zürich]]
| occupation         = [[Typography|Typographer]], [[designer]]
| notable_works      = [[Univers]], [[Frutiger (typeface)|Frutiger]] and [[Avenir (typeface)|Avenir]]
}}

'''Adrian Johann Frutiger'''<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fox |first1=Margalit |title=Adrian Frutiger Dies at 87; His Type Designs Show You the Way |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/20/arts/design/adrian-frutiger-dies-at-87-his-type-designs-show-you-the-way.html |access-date=9 March 2019 |work=The New York Times |date=18 September 2015}}</ref> ({{IPA|de-CH|ˈaːdriaːn ˈjoːhan ˈfruːtɪɡər|lang}}; 24 May 1928&nbsp;– 10 September 2015) was a Swiss typeface designer who influenced the direction of type design in the second half of the 20th century. His career spanned the [[hot metal typesetting|hot metal]], [[phototypesetting]] and [[typesetting#Digital era|digital typesetting]] eras. Until his death, he lived in [[Bremgarten bei Bern]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Schweizer Typograf Adrian Frutiger ist tot |url=http://www.luzernerzeitung.ch/nachrichten/panorama/panorama-sda/Schweizer-Typograf-Adrian-Frutiger-ist-tot;art46441,594159 |work=[[Neue Luzerner Zeitung]] |date=12 September 2015 |access-date=2015-09-12}}</ref><ref name="Adrian Frutiger (24 May 1928 – 10 September 2015)">{{cite web |last1=Twardoch |first1=Adam |title=Adrian Frutiger (24 May 1928 – 12 September 2015) |url=http://typedrawers.com/discussion/1121/adrian-frutiger-24-may-1928-12-september-2015 |website=TypeDrawers |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Nachruf: Eine Epoche in Buchstaben |url=http://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/nachruf-eine-epoche-in-buchstaben-1.2645575 |newspaper=[[Süddeutsche Zeitung]] |date=13 September 2015 |access-date=2015-09-13 |issn=0174-4917 |language=de |first=Erik |last=Spiekermann}}</ref>

Frutiger's most famous designs, [[Univers]], [[Frutiger (typeface)|Frutiger]] and [[Avenir (typeface)|Avenir]], are landmark [[sans-serif]] families spanning the three main genres of sans-serif typefaces: [[sans-serif#Neo-grotesque|neogrotesque]], [[sans-serif#Humanist|humanist]] and [[sans-serif#Geometric|geometric]].<ref name="NY Times Obituary">{{cite news |last1=Fox |first1=Margalit |title=Adrian Frutiger Dies at 87; His Type Designs Show You the Way |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/20/arts/design/adrian-frutiger-dies-at-87-his-type-designs-show-you-the-way.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=20 September 2015 |access-date=20 September 2015 }}</ref> Univers was notable for being one of the first sans-serif faces to form a consistent but wide-ranging family, across a range of widths and weights.<ref name="Stanley Morison Moran">{{cite journal |last1=Moran |first1=James |title=Stanley Morison |journal=Monotype Recorder |date=1968 |volume=43 |issue=3 |page=28 |url=http://www.metaltype.co.uk/downloads/mr/mr_43_3.pdf |access-date=13 September 2015 }}</ref> Frutiger described creating sans-serif types as his "main life's work",<ref name="Reputations: Adrian Frutiger" /> partially due to the difficulty in designing them compared to [[serif|serif fonts]].<ref name="Reputations: Adrian Frutiger" />

==Early life==
Adrian Frutiger was born in [[Unterseen]], [[Canton of Bern]], the son of a weaver.<ref name="Biography of Adrian Frutiger Linotype">{{cite web |title=Biography of Adrian Frutiger |url=http://www.linotype.com/2316-17765/biographyofadrianfrutiger.html |publisher=[[Mergenthaler Linotype Company|Linotype]] |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref> As a boy, he experimented with invented scripts and stylized handwriting in a negative reaction to the formal, cursive penmanship then required by Swiss schools. His father and his secondary school teachers encouraged him to pursue an apprenticeship rather than pure art. After initially planning to train as a pastry chef, Frutiger secured an apprenticeship at the Otto Schlaefli printing house in [[Interlaken]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Frutiger |first1=Adrian |title=Typefaces — the complete works |isbn=9783038212607 |page=12 |date=8 May 2014 }}</ref>

==Formative years and personal life==
At the age of sixteen, he was apprenticed for four years, as a [[compositor (typesetting)|compositor]], to the printer Otto Schlaeffli in [[Interlaken]], also taking classes in woodcuts and drawing at the Gewerbeschule in Bern under Walter Zerbe, followed by employment as a compositor at Gebr. Fretz in Zürich, Switzerland. In 1949 he transferred to the [[Kunstgewerbeschule Zürich]], where he studied under [[Walter Käch]], Karl Schmid, and Alfred Willimann until 1951.<ref name="Adrian Frutiger 2008 p442">{{cite book |first=Adrian |last=Frutiger |title=Typefaces. The Complete Works |location=Basel |publisher=Birkhäuser Verlag |date=2008 |page=442 }}</ref> Students there studied monumental inscriptions from Roman forum rubbings. At the Kunstgewerbeschule Zürich, Frutiger concentrated on calligraphy&nbsp;— a craft favouring the nib and the brush, instead of drafting tools, but also began sketches for what would become Univers, influenced by the sans-serif types popular in contemporary graphic design.<ref name="Reputations: Adrian Frutiger">{{cite web |last1=Schwemer-Scheddin |first1=Yvonne |title=Reputations: Adrian Frutiger |url=http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/reputations-adrian-frutiger |website=Eye |access-date=12 September 2015}}</ref>

Frutiger married Paulette Flückiger in 1952, who died in 1954 after the birth of their son Stéphane.<ref name="Rois de la restauration">{{cite news |last1=Simon |first1=Sophie |title=Rois de la restauration |url=http://www.zoelivebar.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/140411-TDG.pdf |access-date=19 September 2015 |work=[[Tribune de Genève]] }}</ref><ref name="1952 wedding announcement (collectables listing)">{{cite web |title=Wedding announcement (collectables listing) |url=http://www.buch-antiquariat.ch/de/deT2802/sa/50265/ |website=Buch-Antiquariat |access-date=12 September 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151226210956/http://www.buch-antiquariat.ch/de/deT2802/sa/50265/ |archive-date=26 December 2015 }}</ref> He married the theologian Simone Bickel in 1955.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Frutiger |first1=Adrian |title=Schriften: Das Gesamtwerk |isbn=978-3038212638 |page=450 |date=8 May 2014 }}</ref><ref name="Fondation Frutiger – Simone Frutiger">{{cite web |title=Fondation Frutiger – Simone Frutiger |url=http://www.fondationfrutiger.ch/fondation/biographie/simone-frutiger/ |publisher=Fondation Frutiger |access-date=18 September 2015 }}</ref> They had two daughters, who both experienced mental health problems and committed suicide as adolescents. Disappointed by the standard of mental health care at the time, Frutiger and his wife founded the Adrian and Simone Frutiger Foundation ({{langx|fr|Fondation Adrian et Simone Frutiger|link=no}}) to fund psychology and neuroscience research and developments in mental health support.<ref name="Adrian & Simone Frutiger Prize">{{cite web |title=Adrian & Simone Frutiger Prize |url=http://www.fmi.ch/news/releases/articles/letzkus.121012.html |publisher=[[Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research]] |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref><ref name="Fondation Frutiger website">{{cite web|title=Fondation Frutiger|url=http://www.fondationfrutiger.ch/|work=fondationfrutiger.ch/|access-date=12 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="Historique (French)">{{cite web|title=Historique (French)|url=http://www.fondationfrutiger.ch/fondation/historique/|publisher=Fondation Frutiger|access-date=12 September 2015|archive-date=5 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805200203/https://www.fondationfrutiger.ch/fondation/historique/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In an interview, Frutiger described himself as a [[Calvinist]].<ref name="Reputations: Adrian Frutiger" />

Frutiger spent most of his professional career working in Paris and living in France, returning to Switzerland later in life.<ref name="Historique (French)" /><ref name="Frutiger at 80">{{cite web |title=Frutiger at 80 |url=http://www.linotype.com/frutiger/birthday |publisher=Linotype |access-date=13 September 2015 }}</ref>

==Career==
[[File:FrutigerFaces.png|thumb|240px|Specimens of typefaces by Adrian Frutiger]]
{{ill|Charles Peignot|fr}}, of the Paris foundry [[Deberny & Peignot]], recruited Frutiger based upon the quality of the illustrated essay ''Schrift / Écriture / Lettering: the development of European letter types carved in wood'', Frutiger's final project at the [[Kunstgewerbeschule Zürich]]. Frutiger's wood-engraved illustrations of the essay demonstrated his skill, meticulousness, and knowledge of letter forms.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Frutiger |first1=Adrian |title=Typefaces — the complete works |isbn=978-3038212607 |page=22 |date=8 May 2014 }}</ref> At Deberny & Peignot foundry, Frutiger designed the typefaces Président, [[Méridien (typeface)|Méridien]], and Ondine. In addition, Charles Peignot set Frutiger to work upon converting extant typefaces for the new [[phototypesetting]] Linotype equipment.<ref name="Stanley Morison Moran" /><ref name="Font designer Adrian Frutiger LT">{{cite web |title=Font designer Adrian Frutiger |url=http://www.linotype.com/720/adrianfrutiger.html |publisher=Linotype |access-date=13 September 2015 }}</ref>

Adrian Frutiger's first commercial typeface was Président&nbsp;— a set of titling capital letters with small, bracketed serifs, released in 1954. A calligraphic, informal, script face, Ondine ({{gloss|wave}} in French), also was released in 1954.
[[File:Ondine LT Std.png|thumb|The typeface Ondine, designed by Adrian Frutiger]]

In 1955, Méridien, a glyphic, old-style, serif text face was released. The typeface shows inspiration by [[Nicolas Jenson]], and, in the Méridien type, Frutiger's ideas of letter construction, unity, and organic form, are first expressed together. [[Raph Levien]] described as a "Frutiger trademark" his common use of an "a" where the loop makes a horizontal line at the top on meeting the vertical.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Levien |first1=Raph |title=Microsoft's ClearType Font Collection: A Fair and Balanced Review |url=http://typographica.org/on-typography/microsofts-cleartype-font-collection-a-fair-and-balanced-review/ |website=Typographica |access-date=24 November 2014 }}</ref> It makes use of narrow [[Wedge-serif|wedge serifs]], a style sometimes known as Latin which Frutiger would often use in his future serif designs. In 1956, he designed his first-of-three, slab-serif typefaces&nbsp;— [[Egyptienne (typeface)|Egyptienne]], on the Clarendon model; after Univers, it was the second, new text face to be commissioned for photo-composition.

===Univers===
{{main|Univers}}
[[File:HarleyStreetSign.JPG|thumb|Univers Bold Condensed on a London street sign]]
Charles Peignot envisioned a large, unified font family, that might be set in both the metal and the photo-composition systems. Impressed by the success of the Bauer foundry's [[Futura (typeface)|Futura]] typeface, Peignot encouraged a new, geometric sans-serif type in competition. Frutiger disliked the regimentation of Futura, and persuaded Peignot that the new sans-serif should be based on the realist (neo-grotesque) model.<ref name="Reputations: Adrian Frutiger" /> The 1898 face, [[Akzidenz-Grotesk]], is cited as the primary model. To maintain unity across the 21 variants, each weight and width, in roman (upright) and [[oblique type|oblique]] (slanted), was drawn and approved before any matrices were cut. In the [[Univers]] font, Frutiger introduced his two-digit numeration; the first digit (3 though 8) indicates the weight, "3" the lightest, "8" the heaviest. The second digit indicates the face-width and either roman or oblique. It was marketed with a design inspired by the [[periodic table]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Univers specimen book |year=1968 |publisher=American Type Founders |url=https://archive.org/details/ATFFoundryUniversDebernyPeignotIP1968 |access-date=18 September 2015 }}</ref> The response to Univers was immediate and positive; he claimed it became the model for his future typefaces. His [[slab serif]] designs [[Serifa]] (1967) and Glypha (1977) are directly based upon it.<ref name="Serifa MyFonts">{{cite web |title=Serifa |url=http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/serifa/ |website=MyFonts |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref><ref name="Glypha LT MyFonts" />

Univers attracted attention to Frutiger's work outside continental Europe, and he was commissioned by [[Monotype Imaging|Monotype]] to create Apollo, their first typeface specifically created for [[phototypesetting]], which was released in 1964.<ref name="Stanley Morison Moran" /><ref name="Apollo MT">{{cite web |title=Apollo MT |url=http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/adobe/apollo/ |website=MyFonts |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref>

===Frutiger===
{{main|Frutiger (typeface)}}
[[File:Loc.-Lugano.PNG|thumb|[[Astra Frutiger|ASTRA-Frutiger]], a condensed variant of Frutiger, on a road sign near [[Lugano]] in [[Switzerland]] in 2011]]
[[File:Jernbanestasjonen.jpg|thumb|Frutiger in use by the Dutch rail system]]
In 1961–64, Frutiger created with André Gürtler a sans-serif font named Concorde for news use in regular and bold styles for Parisian printing company Sofratype. Required to create a design clearly different from Univers, the design based on classical capitals with a greater classical influence than Univers, partially influenced by a serif design Opéra he had worked on in the interim. The design failed to attract attention and was withdrawn from sale after a few years.

In 1970, Frutiger was asked to design signage at the new [[Charles de Gaulle Airport]] in the [[Roissy-en-France|Roissy]] suburb of Paris. The "way-finding-signage" commission brief required a typeface both legible from afar and from an angle. Frutiger decided to adapt Concorde using legibility research as a guide, and titled the new design Roissy.<ref name="Adrian Frutiger Remembered">{{cite web |title=Adrian Frutiger Remembered |url=http://www.linotype.com/720-34866/adrianfrutigerremembered.html |publisher=Linotype |access-date=18 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="Typefaces – the complete works">{{cite book |last1=Frutiger |first1=Adrian |title=Typefaces — the complete works |pages=224–229 }}</ref>

In 1974, the [[Mergenthaler Linotype Company]] commissioned Frutiger to develop a print version of Roissy with improvements such as better spacing, which was released for public use under the name of [[Frutiger (typeface)|Frutiger]] in 1976. Extremely legible at a distance or at small size, Frutiger became hugely influential on the development of future humanist sans-serif typefaces; font designer [[Erik Spiekermann]] described it as "the best general typeface ever" while [[Steve Matteson]] described it as "the best choice for legibility in pretty much any situation" at small text sizes.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Spiekermann |first1=Erik |title=Twitter post |url=https://twitter.com/espiekermann/status/52103665200271360 |website=Twitter |access-date=11 July 2015 }}</ref><ref name="Type Q&A: Steve Matteson from Monotype">{{cite web |last1=Matteson |first1=Steve |title=Type Q&A: Steve Matteson from Monotype|url=http://typecast.com/blog/type-qa-steve-matteson-from-monotype |website=Typecast |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref>

Frutiger is an amalgamation of Univers tempered with organic influences of the [[Gill Sans]], a humanist sans-serif typeface by [[Eric Gill]], Edward Johnston's type for the London Transport, and Roger Excoffon's Antique Olive: like Univers it uses a [[G#Typographic variants|single-story 'g']], unlike the double of Gill Sans, and has square dots on the letters, but has a generally humanist design with wide [[counter (typography)|apertures]] to increase legibility, decided on after legibility research.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Frutiger |first1=Adrian |title=Typefaces — the complete works |isbn=9783038212607 |page=183 |date=8 May 2014 }}</ref><ref name="Philosophies of Form in Seriffed Typefaces of Adrian Frutiger">{{cite journal |last1=Bigelow |first1=Charles |title=Philosophies of Form in Seriffed Typefaces of Adrian Frutiger |journal=Fine Print: The Review for the Arts of the Book |date=October 1988 |url=http://bigelowandholmes.typepad.com/bigelow-holmes/2015/03/philosophies-of-form-in-seriffed-typefaces-of-adrian-frutiger.html |access-date=18 September 2015 }}</ref>

In the 1970s, Frutiger designed Icone, a wedge-serif design with mild stroke modulation, which has many similarities in basic letter structure to Frutiger, and in overall effect to [[Albertus (typeface)|Albertus]].<ref name="auto">{{cite web |last1=Shaw |first1=Paul |title=Overlooked Typefaces |url=http://www.printmag.com/imprint/overlooked-typefaces/ |website=Print magazine |access-date=2 July 2015 |date=10 February 2011 }}</ref><ref name="Icone MyFonts">{{cite web |last1=Frutiger |first1=Adrian |title=Icone |url=http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/icone-lt/ |website=MyFonts |publisher=Linotype |access-date=10 September 2015 }}</ref> Frutiger's intention was more unusual: to create a design that could be modified by computer, through extreme slanting, morphing or changing stroke width, without seeming as if it had been distorted.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Frutiger |first1=Adrian |title=Typefaces — the complete works |isbn=9783038212607 |pages=276–285 |date=8 May 2014 }}</ref>

Frutiger designed a number of other signage projects in the 1970s. These included an adaptation of Univers for the Paris Métro, after the [[RATP Group|RATP]], the public transport authority of Paris, asked Frutiger to examine the [[Paris Métro]] signage.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://stbride.org/friends/conference/hiddentypography/parisine.html |title=Parisine |publisher=St Bride Foundation |access-date=18 September 2015}}</ref> He created a Univers font variation&nbsp;— a set of capitals and numbers specifically for white-on-dark-blue backgrounds in poor light.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Frutiger |first1=Adrian |title=Typefaces — the complete works |isbn=9783038212607 |pages=244–49 |date=8 May 2014 }}</ref> He also designed a slab serif font for the [[Centre Pompidou]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Frutiger |first1=Adrian |title=Typefaces — the complete works|pages=248–9}}</ref>

Frutiger's 1984 typeface Versailles is an old-style serif text with capitals like those in the earlier Président. Versailles is a Latin design with sharp wedge serifs, based on a popular genre in 19th-century printing.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Frutiger |first1=Adrian |title=Typefaces — the complete works |isbn=9783038212607 |pages=308–315 |date=8 May 2014 }}</ref>

===Avenir===
{{main|Avenir (typeface)}}
[[File:Meeting Bercy François Hollande 29 avril 2012 (12).jpg|thumb|Avenir used by the [[2012 French presidential election|election campaign]] of French president [[François Hollande]].]]
In 1988, Frutiger completed the family [[Avenir (typeface)|Avenir]]. Frutiger intended the design to be a more human version of geometric sans-serif types popular in the 1930s such as [[Erbar (typeface)|Erbar]] and [[Futura (typeface)|Futura]], and it is named Avenir ({{gloss|future}} in French) as a reference to the latter.<ref name="Adobe Avenir">{{cite web |title=Adobe Avenir |url=http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/adobe/avenir/ |website=MyFonts |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref>

In a complete reverse, his next design Westside was a wild-west themed [[slab serif]], inspired by [[reverse-contrast typefaces|reverse-contrast]] French Clarendons of the late 19th century.

===Late designs===
In 1991, Frutiger finished Vectora, a design influenced by [[Morris Fuller Benton]]'s type faces [[Franklin Gothic]] and [[News Gothic]]. The resultant face has a tall [[x-height]] and is legible in small-point sizes.<ref name="Vectora Adobe">{{cite web |title=Vectora |url=http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/adobe/vectora/ |website=MyFonts |publisher=Adobe |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref> Frutiger's 1991 release Linotype Didot was an elegant revival of the [[Didot (typeface)|Didot]] typeface adapted to display use, which remains popular; it is the version of Didot bundled with [[OS X]], for example.<ref name="Didot LT">{{cite web |title=Didot LT |url=http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/didot/ |website=MyFonts |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref> While Frutiger continued to be involved in adaptations and expansions of pre-existing families and smaller projects, he described {{lang|fr|Didot}} in 1998 as his "last typeface design".<ref name="Reputations: Adrian Frutiger" />

===The roots of letters===
[[File:Frutiger stones sample without border.jpg|thumb|Sample of the font Frutiger Stones]]
Linotype launched a font series named "Type before Gutenberg" in 1989 and in the 1990s, Frutiger released as part of it a series of designs inspired by pre-printing alphabets, such as Herculanum and Pompeijana, inspired by Roman brush lettering, Rusticana, inspired by ''{{lang|la|[[rustic capitals|capitalis rustica]]}}'' Roman carving. He later also created Frutiger Stones (no connection to [[Frutiger (typeface)|Frutiger]]), a playful design inspired by the shapes of pebbles. Parts of this design were finalised by Linotype's team; it was based on an alphabet drawn by Frutiger on a 1992 Christmas card.<ref name="Herculanum LT">{{cite web |title=Herculanum LT |url=https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/herculanum/ |website=MyFonts |publisher=Linotype |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref><ref name="Frutiger Stones">{{cite web |title=Frutiger Stones |url=https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/frutiger-stones/ |website=MyFonts |publisher=Linotype |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref><ref name="Pompeijana LT">{{cite web |title=Pompeijana LT |url=https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/pompeijana/ |website=MyFonts |publisher=Linotype |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref> He also created Capitalis, inspired by brush lettering but without a specific historical source.<ref name="Frutiger Capitalis">{{cite web |title=Frutiger Capitalis |url=http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/frutiger-capitalis/ |website=MyFonts |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref> Nami, an uncial design Frutiger had been considering since 1992, followed in 2007.

===Remastered releases===
[[File:Frutiger Serif & Frutiger Next.png|thumb|alt=hover text|Frutiger Next in use with Frutiger Serif, an adaptation of his earlier {{lang|fr|Méridien}}]]
In the late 1990s, Frutiger began collaborating on refining and expanding his most famous Univers, Frutiger, and Avenir families. The new projects took advantage of improved digital production methods to create a wider range of styles and improved [[font hinting|hinting]] for onscreen display. Univers was reissued as Linotype Univers with sixty-three variants; Frutiger was reissued as Frutiger Next with additional weights. Collaborating with Linotype designer Akira Kobayashi, Frutiger expanded the Avenir font family with light weights, heavy weights, and a condensed version that were released as the Avenir Next font.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://monotypeimaging.com/productsservices/TypeDesignerShowcase/AkiraKobayashi/Biography.aspx?type=bio2 |title=Custom Fonts and Custom Typeface Engine |publisher=Monotype |access-date=18 September 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301105532/http://monotypeimaging.com/productsservices/TypeDesignerShowcase/AkiraKobayashi/Biography.aspx?type=bio2 |archive-date=1 March 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.planet-typography.com/news/designer/kobayashi.html |title=Akira Kobayashi, Linotype type director |access-date=18 September 2015 }}</ref> Frutiger described the process of restoring Univers as a "personal gift."<ref name="Traces: Adrian Frutiger on Univers">{{cite web |title=Traces: Adrian Frutiger on Univers |url=http://www.linotype.com/793-12661/anewuniversregfamily.html |publisher=Linotype |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref>

These modifications were not universally considered improvements: Frutiger regretted allowing Linotype to substitute a modish 1990s [[italic type|true italic]] (not drawn by Frutiger) onto Frutiger Next instead of the sharper [[oblique type|oblique]] Frutiger preferred throughout his career. In his autobiography, Frutiger commented that in resigning himself to it "Maybe I was too soft to say what I really felt... I didn't have the strength and patience anymore."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Frutiger |first1=Adrian |title=Typefaces: The Complete Works |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |isbn=978-3038212607 |page=260 |edition=2 |date=8 May 2014 }}</ref> From a different perspective, type designer [[Martin Majoor]] commented that he preferred the italic but described Linotype Univers as "staggering" and "not an improvement" for its return to the very aggressively slanted italic of Frutiger's original drawings: "Redesigning an old successful typeface is something a type designer should maybe never consider."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Majoor |first1=Martin |title=My type design philosophy |url=http://www.martinmajoor.com/6_my_philosophy.html |access-date=12 September 2014 }}</ref> Frutiger commented on the italic that he felt Univers needed to be "snappy" and that it added character.<ref name="Typefaces – the complete works" />

In 2009, Frutiger collaborated with Akira Kobayashi on a second re-release of Frutiger, Frutiger Neue, which moved back towards the original 1970s release.<ref name="Frutiger Neue">{{cite web |title=Frutiger Neue |url=http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/neue-frutiger/ |website=MyFonts |publisher=Linotype |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref>

Through his later years, Frutiger collaborated with co-authors Heidrun Osterer and Philipp Stamm on an extensive autobiography, ''Typefaces: the Complete Works'' (2008). In this book, Frutiger discussed his entire career and his completed and abandoned projects.

==Death==
Frutiger died on 10 September 2015, in [[Bremgarten bei Bern]] at the age of 87.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/20/arts/design/adrian-frutiger-dies-at-87-his-type-designs-show-you-the-way.html Adrian Frutiger Dies at 87; His Type Designs Show You the Way]</ref><ref>[https://www.linotype.com/720-34866/adrian-frutiger-remembered.html Font Designer – Adrian Frutiger – Adrian Frutiger Remembered]</ref>

==Typefaces==
Frutiger's typefaces include:<ref>{{cite web |title=77 font families by Adrian Frutiger |url=https://www.myfonts.com/person/Adrian_Frutiger/ |publisher=[[MyFonts]] |access-date=13 September 2015 }}</ref>
* Ondine (1954): a display design inspired by Arabic calligraphy.<ref name="Ondine LT">{{cite web |title=Ondine |url=http://www.linotype.com/1301/Ondine-family.html |publisher=Linotype |access-date=12 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801033822/http://www.linotype.com/1301/Ondine-family.html |archive-date=2015-08-01 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Président (1954): a wedge-serif titling face in capitals and small capitals; somewhat similar to [[Copperplate Gothic]].<ref name=President>{{cite web |title=President |url=http://www.linotype.com/49174/President-family.html |publisher=Linotype |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref>
* [[Méridien (typeface)|Méridien]] (1955): a text face, again with a crisp wedge-serif design and a gradual flare on ascenders.<ref name="Adobe Meridien">{{cite web |title=Adobe Meridien |url=http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/adobe/meridien/ |website=MyFonts |access-date=12 September 2015 |archive-date=21 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921072254/http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/adobe/meridien/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Frutiger Serif (below) is an update and expansion.<ref name="Frutiger Serif">{{cite web |title=Frutiger Serif |url=http://www.linotype.com/5368/frutigerserif.html |publisher=Linotype |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref>
* [[Egyptienne (typeface)|Egyptienne]] (1956): a humanist slab-serif design.<ref name="Egyptienne LT">{{cite web |title=Egyptienne |url=http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/egyptienne-f/ |publisher=Linotype |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref>
* [[Univers]] (1957)
* Apollo (1962): created for Monotype, somewhat similar to {{lang|fr|Méridien}}.<ref name="Apollo MT" /><ref name="Adobe Meridien" />
* [[Serifa]] (1967): a slab serif based on the Univers family.
* [[OCR-B]] (1968)
* Iridium (1975): a [[Didone (typography)|Didone]] serif text face. Its flared style suggests the irregularity of metal type, an approach that would become very popular in the 1990s.<ref name=Iridium>{{cite web |title=Iridium |url=http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/iridium-lt/ |publisher=Linotype |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref><ref name="Linotype: notes on Iridium font family">{{cite web |title=Linotype: notes on Iridium font family |url=http://www.linotype.com/48729/Iridium-family.html |publisher=Linotype |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref>
* [[Frutiger (typeface)|Frutiger]] (1976)
* Glypha (1977): similar to Serifa.<ref name="Glypha LT MyFonts">{{cite web |title=Glypha |url=https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/glypha/ |website=MyFonts |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref>
* Icone (1980): a wedge serif design. Almost monoline, but with a gentle flare of strokes.<ref name="auto"/><ref name="Icone MyFonts"/>
* Breughel (1982): an old-style serif inspired by the Renaissance.<ref name="Breughel LT">{{cite web |title=Breughel |url=http://www.linotype.com/48541/Breughel-family.html |publisher=Linotype |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref>
* Versailles (1982)
* Linotype Centennial (1986)
* [[Avenir (typeface)|Avenir]] (1988)
* Westside (1989): a complete departure, a Wild West-themed slab serif on the French Clarendon model. Frutiger had been considering creating such a design for many years before its release.<ref name="Westside LT">{{cite web |title=Westside |url=https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/westside/ |publisher=Linotype |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref>
* Herculanum (1990)
* Vectora (1990)<ref name="Vectora Adobe" />
* [[Didot (typeface)|Linotype Didot]] (1991)
*Pompeijana (1992)
* Rusticana (1993)
[[File:Frutiger symbols font cropped.jpg|thumb|Frutiger Symbols: a group of designs inspired by Stone Age art drawn on pebbles.]]
* Frutiger Stones (1998){{citation needed|date=May 2025}}
* Frutiger Symbols (1998){{citation needed|date=May 2025}}
* Linotype Univers (1999)<ref name="Traces: Adrian Frutiger on Univers" />
* [[Frutiger (typeface)|Frutiger Next]] (2000)
* Nami (2006): a playful unicase sans. Based on sketches from the 1980s and developed in collaboration with Akira Kobayashi.<ref name="Nami LT">{{cite web |title=Nami |url=http://www.linotype.com/3289/nami.html |publisher=Linotype |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref>
* Frutiger Arabic (2007): designed by Lebanese designer [[Nadine Chahine]] in consultation with Frutiger. It is based on the Kufi style.
* Frutiger Serif (2008)<ref name="Frutiger Serif" />
* {{lang|de|Neue Frutiger}} (2009)
* Univers Next (2010)

==Prizes and awards==
[[File:Frutiger capitalis regular cropped.jpg|thumb|Adrian Frutiger's font Frutiger Capitalis]]
* 1950&nbsp;— Federal department of the Interior Prize, Bern, Switzerland<ref name="Adrian Frutiger 2008 p442"/>
* 1960&nbsp;— Advertising campaign award, [[De Arbeiderspers]], Amsterdam, Netherlands<ref name="Adrian Frutiger 2008 p442"/>
* 1970&nbsp;— {{lang|fr|Chevalier dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication}}, Paris, France<ref name="Adrian Frutiger 2008 p442"/>
* 1971&nbsp;— Silver medal in competition for "Most Beautiful Swiss Books" with Bruno Pfäffli for {{lang|de|Das Hohe Lied Salomos}}, International Book Art Exhibition, Leipzig, Germany<ref name="Adrian Frutiger 2008 p442"/>
* 1974&nbsp;— Honoured with a coat of arms by the city of Interlaken, Switzerland<ref name="Adrian Frutiger 2008 p442"/>
* 1984&nbsp;— Paul-Haupt Prize from the city of Bern, Switzerland<ref name="Adrian Frutiger 2008 p442"/>
* 1986&nbsp;— [[Gutenberg Prize of the International Gutenberg Society and the City of Mainz]] (Germany)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.identifont.com/show?110 |title=Adrian Frutiger |publisher=Identifont |access-date=18 September 2015 }}</ref>
*1987&nbsp;— Gold Medal of the Type Directors Club of New York<ref name="MyFonts">{{cite web |url=http://new.myfonts.com/person/Adrian_Frutiger/foundries/ |title=Adrian Frutiger « MyFonts |access-date=18 September 2015 }}</ref>
*1990&nbsp;— {{lang|fr|Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres}} (Order of Arts and Letters), {{lang|fr|Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication}}, Paris, France<ref name="Adrian Frutiger 2008 p442"/>
*1993&nbsp;— {{lang|fr|Grand Prix National des Arts Graphiques}} (France).<ref name="Adrian Frutiger 2008 p442"/>
*2006&nbsp;— Typography Award from The [[Society of Typographic Aficionados]] (SOTA)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.linotype.com/3145/2006_11_01.html |title=Frutiger honored with prestigious typography award |publisher=Linotype News |date=1 November 2006 |access-date=18 September 2015 }}</ref>
*2006&nbsp;—  [[Type Directors Club|TDC2 award]] in the Type System / Superfamily category<ref>[http://www.tdc.org/news/2006Results/index.html TDC2 2006 : Winning Entries TDC2 awards page]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120908232739/http://www.tdc.org/news/2006Results/index.html |date=2012-09-08 }}</ref>
*2007&nbsp;— {{lang|fr|Prix Designer 2007}}, Federal Office of Culture, Bern, Switzerland<ref name="Adrian Frutiger 2008 p442"/>
*2009&nbsp;— [[European Design Award|European Design Hall of Fame]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.europeandesign.org/#/ed-awards/hall-of-fame/2009-adrian-frutiger/ |title=2009: Adrian Frutiger |publisher=European Design |access-date=18 September 2015}}</ref>
*2013&nbsp;— {{lang|de|Kulturpreis Berner Oberland 2013}}<ref name="Kulturpreisverleihung Berner Oberland">{{cite web|title=Kulturpreisverleihung Berner Oberland |url=http://www.volkswirtschaftbeo.ch/kultur/kulturpreis.html |publisher=Volkswirtschaft Berner Oberland |access-date=18 September 2015 }}{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Other work==
In 2003, the Swiss watchmaker Ventura commissioned him to design a new watch face for a limited-edition line of wristwatches.<ref name="Adrian Frutiger Developes Watch Dials for Ventura">{{cite web|title=Adrian Frutiger develops watch dials for Ventura |url=http://people.timezone.com/library/news/news631902600938750000 |website=Timezone |access-date=12 September 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531215553/http://people.timezone.com/library/news/news631902600938750000 |archive-date=31 May 2013 }}</ref>

To celebrate Swiss graphic design he designed three stamps for the Swiss post office.<ref name="Frutiger Stamps">{{cite web |title=Frutiger Stamps |url=http://katranpress.com/collections/designer/adrian-frutiger/?kind=68 |publisher=Katran Press |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref>

He also designed a word mark for the [[National Institute of Design]] in [[Ahmedabad]], India. Originally, the institute was named National Design Institute, however, the institute renamed itself to match Adrian Frutiger's stylized NID logotype alongside the name "National Institute of Design."

For the Fondation Frutiger he created a set of symbols as an abstract presentation of the Foundation's work.<ref name="Symboles: Formes et Contreformes">{{cite web |title=Symboles: Formes et Contreformes |url=http://www.fondationfrutiger.ch/fondation/historique/symboles/ |publisher=Fondation Frutiger |access-date=12 September 2015 }}</ref>

Adrian Frutiger also designed small vignettes for the book of prayers of the [[Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Gebet- und Gesangbuch Palmsonntag bis Ostern (CG II) – Christkatholische Kirche der Schweiz |url=https://christkatholisch.ch/produkt/gebet-und-gesangbuch-palmsonntag-bis-ostern-cg-ii/|access-date=18 August 2023 |language=de-DE}}</ref> performing the work pro bono.<ref>{{cite web |title=Christkatholisch 2015-17 by Christkatholische Kirche der Schweiz - Issuu |url=https://issuu.com/christkatholisch.ch/docs/christkatholisch201517web/10 |website=issuu.com |access-date=18 August 2023 |language=en |date=18 September 2015}}</ref>

==Select bibliography==
* Erich Alb (Ed.): ''{{lang|de|Adrian Frutiger&nbsp;— Formen und Gegenformen}}/Forms and Counterforms'', Syndor Press 1998; Niggli: {{ISBN|3-7212-0440-9}}
* Adrian Frutiger: ''{{lang|de|Ein Leben für die Schrift}}'', Schlaefli & Maurer 2003, {{ISBN|3-85884-015-7}}
* Adrian Frutiger, Horst Heiderhoff: ''{{lang|de|Der Mensch und seine Zeichen}}'', Marixverlag 2004, {{ISBN|3-937715-63-0}}
* Adrian Frutiger: ''{{lang|de|Nachdenken über Zeichen und Schrift}}'', Haupt 2005, {{ISBN|3-258-06811-9}}
* Anne Cuneo: ''{{lang|de|Adrian Frutiger&nbsp;—  Schriftengestalter}}'', DVD 2005, {{EAN|7611372200269}}, {{OCLC|862899462}}, [[ISAN]] 0000-0000-D4FB-0000-F
* Adrian Frutiger: ''{{lang|de|Symbole. Geheimnisvolle Bilder-Schriften, Zeichen, Signale, Labyrinthe, Heraldik}}'', Haupt 2008, {{ISBN|3-258-07323-6}}
* Schweiz. Stiftung Schrift und Typographie, Heidrun Osterer, Philipp Stamm (Eds.): ''Adrian Frutiger&nbsp;— Typefaces. The Complete Works'', Birkhäuser 2009, {{ISBN|978-3-7643-8581-1}}
* {{lang|de|[https://web.archive.org/web/20090122193039/http://www.artfilm.ch:80/adrianfrutiger.php Adrian Frutiger&nbsp;—  Der Mann von Schwarz und Weiss]}}, DVD Artfilm 2005, {{ISBN|3-7225-0049-4}}, {{ISBN|9783722500492}}, [[ISAN]] 0000-0001-83B9-0000-W
* [http://www.spinform.ch Anja Bodmer und Jürg Brühlmann]: ''Read Me&nbsp;—  {{lang|de|mit Adrian Frutiger durch die Welt der Zeichen und Buchstaben}}'', [http://www.hochparterre.ch Hochparterre Bücher AG], 2008, {{ISBN|978-3-909928-09-5}}
* Heidrun Osterer, Philipp, Stamm (Eds.), ''Adrian Frutiger — Typefaces. The Complete Works'', third edition, Birkhäuser 2021, {{ISBN|978-3-0356-2362-8}}

==See also==
*[[Frutiger Aero]], a design aesthetic named for Adrian Frutiger and his typefaces

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* Carter, Sebsatian. ''20th Century Type Designers.'' Lund Humphries Publishers: 2002. {{ISBN|978-0-85331-851-4}}.
* [[Eye (magazine)|''Eye'']], No. 31, Vol. 8, Spring 1999. [https://web.archive.org/web/20020322042710/http://www.eyemagazine.com/issue.php?id=20]
* Friedl, Frederich, Nicholas Ott and Bernard Stein. ''Typography: An Encyclopedic Survey of Type Design and Techniques Through History.'' Black Dog & Leventhal: 1998. {{ISBN|1-57912-023-7}}.
* Frutiger, Adrian. ''Signs and Symbols: Their Design and Meaning.'' Ebury Press: 1998. {{ISBN|978-0091864828}}.
* Frutiger, Adrian. ''Forms and Counterforms.'' {{ISBN|978-3721204407}}.
* Jaspert, Berry and Johnson. ''Encyclopædia of Type Faces.'' Cassell Paperback, London; 2001. {{ISBN|1-84188-139-2}}
* Macmillan, Neil. ''An A–Z of Type Designers.'' Yale University Press: 2006. {{ISBN|0-300-11151-7}}.
* McLean, Ruari. ''Typographers on Type.'' Lund Humphries: 1995. {{ISBN|978-0-85331-657-2}}.
* [[Mark Ovenden|Ovenden, Mark]] ''Paris Metro Style in map and station design'', Capital Transport, London, November 2008. {{ISBN|978-1-85414-322-8}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Helveticat}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071025113022/http://www.monotypeimaging.com/ProductsServices/TypeDesignerShowcase/AdrianFrutiger/ Monotype Imaging: Adrian Frutiger]
* [http://www.linotype.com/en/5402/adrianfrutigers80thbirthday.html Adrian Frutiger's 80th Birthday]
* [http://www.katranpress.com/stamps_frutiger_1_1.html Postage stamp designed by Adrian Frutiger]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110719074543/http://www.raumzeitfilter.de/images/portraits/html/frutiger_e.htm 'Portrait with word' of Adrian Frutiger by Mark-Steffen Goewecke]
* {{lang|fr|[http://www.fondationfrutiger.ch/ Fondation Frutiger]}}
* [http://bigelowandholmes.typepad.com/bigelow-holmes/2015/03/philosophies-of-form-in-seriffed-typefaces-of-adrian-frutiger.html Philosophies of Form in Seriffed Typefaces of Adrian Frutiger] – [[Charles Bigelow (type designer)|Charles Bigelow]]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frutiger, Adrian}}
[[Category:1928 births]]
[[Category:2015 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Interlaken-Oberhasli District]]
[[Category:Swiss typographers and type designers]]
[[Category:Zurich University of the Arts alumni]]
[[Category:Swiss expatriates in France]]