Geoffrey Lee

Born Wimbledon, England 07 November 1929

During National Service in the RAF took a correspondence course in advertising. When demobbed started work in an advertising agency in January 1950 as a checking clerk. With various agencies, finally with Pembertons London as Type Director and head of Graphic Design Unit.

While with Pembertons designed metal typeface ‘Impact’ for Stephenson Blake, including drawings for testing, and production of complete master pattern drawings for the foundry. ‘Impact’ is one of Microsoft’s core fonts.

Other work included various corporate identity and symbol designs including Polycell Group, Purnells, DER television, Simcita bras (Sweden) and Berlitz Interlingua (Germany).

Ornamental motif printed on linen and marketed by Heals.

Design consultant to Nickeloid Typesetting, work included the redesign of their metal and photosetting specimen books. Adviser to Arnold Cook, Stempel’s UK agent. Wrote and designed leaflets on Helvetica and on the Univers family for them.

Society of Typographic Designers representative on British Standards Committee revising BS : 2961.

Started own design and typesetting business with a Diatype machine, 1970. Developed the business and sold it to Diagraphic Typesetters in 1975. Joined them as typographic specialist, appointed Technical Director in 1980. Responsibilities included research, installation and development on typographic systems. These have included VIP, Linotron 202 and Monotype typesetters as well as Linotype, CCI, Macintosh and PC front ends. The emphasis throughout was software control of typographic refinement, (Tracking, kerning and character width modification).

Educational activities included: Sometime lecturer to Manchester College of Art and the Advanced Typography Course, London College of Printing.

Member, Society of Typographic Designers, 1955. Elected Fellow of the above in 1968, at the time the youngest Fellow elected.

Member, Society of Industrial Artists, 1961.

Member, Institute of Printing, 1990.

After retirement and various consultancies designed and produced the typefaces ‘Camden’ and italic and ‘Impact Wide’ and italic. While producing the latter took the opportunity to restore the alternative characters and some visual subtleties lost in the digital development of the original ‘Impact’.

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