Type – Adapted to Everyday Life

At the moment, Adrian Frutiger is busy working on a new book which should be printed next spring. “It’s a subject which has fascinated me for quite some time now: the concept of give and take. There is nothing revolutionary about it, people have been passing on their knowledge for ages, the elders teach the young, the father teaches his son, the mother her daughter, the master his apprentice…there has always been this exchange going on. But of course it was the “take” part of the equation which mostly defined these relationships.” Frutiger admits that many no longer believe this model is relevant, because young people now just sit in front of their computers and effectively screen themselves off from the rest of the world. Yet Frutiger points out that there are distinct signs of a shift taking place. “The times when people thought a computer could do everything are over. It is simply idiotic to believe that computers could ever replace our hands. A computer will never be able to build a violin which truly sings!” And he elaborates even further: “Why do people still go to concerts? Or go on hikes? Why do people meditate? Because the rush of our computer age is simply unnatural to humans.”

At the same time, Frutiger is convinced, especially in a computer dominated age, a common ground for communication is even more important than before. “The technical revolution has radically changed so many aspects of our lives,” Frutiger explains. “The straightforward simplicity of printing books has been replaced by dozens of individual phases from editing to setting, copying and printing. No print media can be created nowadays without dedicated team work.” In one sense, he is critical of these developments, yet he is far from defeatist. According to Frutiger, “Everything contemporary is based on experiences from the past. So the future can already be found in the present.”

In other words, Frutiger sees the past as a significant component of the present. So his intention is to now pass on his legacy to us in the form of a book. And it is also his intention to document many things he feels would otherwise be lost.

For instance, a description of craftsmanship skills like "die sinking", along with a description of the technologies used at the time. “I want to pass on everything I have learned or experienced which is of relevance. This knowledge will be lost if it is not definitively documented.”

Search with the keyword for ‘Frutiger’ to find all fonts in the Linotype Library designed by Adrian Frutiger.