Matthias Schilling

Mondays with GGL

From 1983 to 1986, I was fortunate enough to study at the school of graphic design U5 in Munich. Even back then, “U5” was known for its renowned lecturers. But one of them outshone all the others: Günter Gerhard Lange, known to us simply as GGL, the superstar of typography.

His lectures on Mondays at 9 a.m. were legendary. We would pour into the room long before they started. We would sit close together, extending up onto the stairs. Nobody wanted to miss GGL speaking.

The word lecture doesn’t do him justice. He spoke in such a way that you made you listen. Captivating. Clear. Direct. In his brash Berlin style, he revealed to us that typography is more than just the juxtaposition of letters. It is art. It tells stories. It directs the gaze and determines how readers perceive the content.

GGL dissected letters like a surgeon dissects tissue. He familiarised us with proportions and line thicknesses. He led us into the depths of every detail. His passion was contagious. And we began to take a closer look and to critically question our own designs.

At that time, we would hardly dare to have a longer conversation with him. He seemed too great, too confident, too brilliant. Yet, his impact lingered. To this day.

Günter Gerhard Lange changed my view of design. He taught me to read typography – with my eyes and with my mind. Those lessons with him on Mondays at U5 are among the moments of my education that left the greatest impression.

Matthias Schilling, graphic designer