Typographer, type designer, book designer, author, historian, and educator. Born in 1931 in Rotterdam, Netherlands, he taught type design at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague from 1960 to 1990. Over three decades, he transformed the academy into one of the world’s leading institutions for type design education. He has influenced the field profoundly, producing numerous students who have become prominent type designers in Europe and the United States, collectively known as the “Hague School.” His notable works include Letterletter and De handen van de zeven zusters.