Anative of nuremberg, germany, apprenticed as a photo retoucher and studied calligraphy after he acquired a copy of rudolph koch’s book das schreiben als kunstfertigkeit (writing as an art form). he became a freelance book designer and typographic designer, and at age twenty-two the first of his more than fifty typefaces was designed and cut for stempel foundry. he developed an extraordinary sensitivity to letterforms in his activities as a calligrapher, typeface designer, typographer, and graphic designer. he viewed typeface design as “one of the most visible visual expressions of an age.” he designed palatino in 1950, melior in 1952, and optima in 1958.