David Berlow’s fonts have graced the pages of many well-known publications, including The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, and The Wall Street Journal. He has created some of the world’s most recognizable typefaces, consulting for tech giants Apple, Microsoft, and Adobe.
But before he was a celebrated type designer, Berlow was a UW–Madison art student, “haunting the Humanities Building” and eating cold pizza “among the ruins of some project.”
“The inhumanity of the Humanities Building instilled humanity in me,” Berlow says, reflecting on his experience at UW–Madison in the 1970s.
Despite the challenges he faced as a student, which included hauling a heavy portfolio “in 30 mph winds 20 degrees below zero,” he was exposed to diverse design concepts and got a thorough grounding in a variety of artistic techniques.
“The thing I keep with me is the art of the hand,” he says.
The art and critical thinking skills he honed on campus helped launch Berlow into a career in typography spanning more than 45 years.
As a co-founder of Font Bureau, he played a pivotal role in designing hundreds of typefaces used by major corporations and publications worldwide. Throughout his career, Berlow has embraced digital innovation while continuing to value hands-on craftsmanship, allowing type to evolve with technology while maintaining its artistic roots.
From a mountaintop to Mendota
Berlow’s mother, a former art teacher at the Dalton School in New York, encouraged his creativity as a child. The only left-handed child among his five siblings, she thought he would have an artistic edge.
“I got all the tools,” says Berlow, from oil paints and watercolors, to magic markers and potato printing.
Though he was born in Boston, Berlow spent most of his childhood in Wisconsin. His family moved to Shorewood, near Milwaukee, when he was 4 months old.
“My great grandfather was born above a sausage factory in Milwaukee,” Berlow notes, highlighting his family’s deep roots in the city.