Friedrich Althausen.
Creative Type Designer.

In his words.

Type design is the purest of all design directions: no colours, no sizes, no hierarchy, no 3D, no surfaces — just form and counter form on the plane. 

Friedrich Althausen from Berlin is a type designer, typographer and calligrapher and, in his role as a Creative Type Director at the Monotype Studio, an enthusiastic ambassador for all things type. After his studies at the Bauhaus University in Weimar, Friedrich worked as a freelance designer with a special interest in book typography and type design. He has designed typefaces for mathematics textbooks and a school atlas, and his font “Vollkorn” became known worldwide as one of the very first free webfonts on the internet. At Monotype he is responsible for custom designs and modifications for German-speaking and international brands. 

As a calligrapher, Friedrich is passionate about DIY writing tools. He loves to apply his ephemeral letterings on streets and pavements, using his self-made tools for large-scale chalk calligraphy. He has contributed to several significant projects at Monotype, including Helvetica Now Variable and custom type design for brands including Reckitt, Evri, Balenciaga, Teamviewer, Captain Morgan, De Vegetarische Slager, Duolingo, and Bechtle.

In his spare time, Friedrich enjoys sailing, building wooden toys, choir singing, and his kids.