It is in the middle of two mountain ranges that Franziska Weitgruber designs her typefaces. The letterforms that she designs are just as striking as the South Tyrolean Alps where she lives.

Fascinated by the interaction of analog and digital technologies, she explores the limits of these tools and materials in her work. She works intensively with manual printing techniques and high-quality coatings, such as gold leaf, enamel paint, risography and screen printing.

Franziska received her Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design with a focus on type from the New Design University St. Pölten (typography, calligraphy, hand lettering, typeface design). Later she also worked there as a lecturer. The TypeMedia Master at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague manifested her way to type design. Franziska is currently working as a freelance type designer and graphic designer. She is also a regular guest mentor at Type Clinic Slovenia.

In addition to Nikolai, she also initially published early versions of her fonts Gig and Roba on the Future Fonts platform. Aside from the world of letters, she loves bicycles and the Rietveld Schröder House in Utrecht.