About Jakob Erbar
Lived 1878 – 1935 (aged 56). Jakob Erbar was a German graphic designer, university teacher, calligrapher and typesetter.
Jakob Erbar (8 February 1878 – 7 January 1935) was a German professor of graphic design and a type designer. Erbar trained as a typesetter for the Dumont-Schauberg Printing Works before studying under Fritz Helmut Ehmcke and Anna Simons. Erbar went on to teach in 1908 at the Städtischen Berufsschule and from 1919 to his death at the Kölner Werkschule. His seminal Erbar series was one of the first geometric sans-serif typefaces, predating both Paul Renner's Futura and Rudolf Koch's Kabel by some five years.
Typefaces
Foundry types produced by Jakob Erbar:
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Important facts
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Jakob Erbar?
German typographer (1878–1935)
When was Jakob Erbar born?
Jakob Erbar was born on 8 February 1878 in Düsseldorf.
When did Jakob Erbar die?
Jakob Erbar died on 7 January 1935 in Cologne.
What was Jakob Erbar's occupation?
Jakob Erbar was a graphic designer, university teacher, calligrapher and typesetter.
What nationality was Jakob Erbar?
Jakob Erbar was German.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Jakob Erbar. https://biography.guide/jakob-erbar/
MLA: "Jakob Erbar." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/jakob-erbar/.
Chicago: "Jakob Erbar." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/jakob-erbar/.
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