Women in Design
Elizabeth Friedlander was a German-born typographer and graphic designer, best known for her work in type design and calligraphy. She fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s and continued her career in England and the United States. Friedlander designed elegant typefaces and lettering, contributing significantly to modern typography, and her work blended precision with artistic flair.
Since Friedländer was designing in the early 1930s, it was very unheard of for a woman to design a typeface. The reason her work was successful, besides being of a very high quality, is that she had connections with influential designers and publishers due to her skill, reputation, and work in Germany before she fled Nazi rule.
Elizabeth Friedländer’s personal work focused mainly on lettering and calligraphy, which gave her space to experiment beyond client-led projects. Through this work, she was able to refine her understanding of balance, spacing, and form in a more hands-on way. These personal explorations helped shape the clarity and elegance seen throughout her later typographic work.