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Ludwig & Mayer

Defunct German type foundry

Ludwig & Mayer was a German type foundry in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Many important designers worked for the Ludwig & Mayer type foundry, including Heinrich Jost, Karlgeorg Hoefer, Helmut Matheis, and most notably Jakob Erbar, whose Erbar Book was one of the first geometric sans-serif typefaces, predating both Paul Renner's Futura and Rudolf Koch's Kabel by some five years. Starting in 1925, Ludwig & Mayer types were distributed in the United States by Continental Type Founders Association.2 It was founded by Carl Jacob Ludwig.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1875Founded1
  • Industrytype foundry1
  • HeadquartersFrankfurt1

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Ludwig & Mayer was a German type foundry in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Many important designers worked for the Ludwig & Mayer type foundry, including Heinrich Jost, Karlgeorg Hoefer, Helmut Matheis, and most notably Jakob Erbar, whose Erbar Book was one of the first geometric sans-serif typefaces, predating both Paul Renner's Futura and Rudolf Koch's Kabel by some five years. Starting in 1925, Ludwig & Mayer types were distributed in the United States by Continental Type Founders Association. When the foundry ceased operations in 1984, rights to the typefaces was transmitted to the Neufville Typefoundry.2

The story

Founded by Carl Jacob Ludwig in 1875.1

Leadership

Who has led Ludwig & Mayer, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Timeline

  1. 1985Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1984Dissolved Dissolved1
  3. 1875Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2