Roman studied visual communication at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle (Saale) in Germany, and under Professor Fred Smeijers for a typeface design master’s degree at the Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig. Besides working for Berlin-Beijing-based studio Inside A Communications, he was a member of the Multilingual Typography Research Group at the Zurich Academy of the Arts and HEAD GenevaHEAD Geneva from 2007 to 2013. When he is not pursuing his font, writing or musical projects, he works as an information designer at the German Institute of Economic Research—DIW Berlin and, in his other career, at Berlin University of the Arts Typography Lab. This website is fairly outdeted, but better than nothing. Stay tuned for a new website with looooot of new works or find me on Instagram for a more casual view.
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From 2018 to 2019, he was a substitute professor of typography at Braunschweig University of Art (HBK). A fluent Chinese speaker, his work focuses on cross-cultural mediation, bilingual typography and typeface design. A frequent visitor of Asia, he has taught at various academic institutions, such as the China Central Academy of Fine Arts (Beijing), the Hong Kong Polytechnic University—School of Design, or the Seoul National University (College of Fine Arts). In 2015, he was an artist in residence at the Hong Kong Baptist University—Academy of Visual Arts and participated at the Typojanchi Biennial in Seoul.
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His Chinese typefaces are sold by Arphic (文鼎字库)—Taiwan, 3type (三言)—Shanghai, or at Fontspring and MyFonts (coming soon)..

1998
Communication design studies at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle (Saale), Germany, degree in 2004

2006
Master class “Type in the Field of Digital Media”, Prof. Fred Smeijers, Leipzig Academy of Visual Arts, Germany, degree in 2009

2007–
Member of the Multilingual Typography Research Group at the design2context Institute of Design Research, Zurich Academy of the Arts. General lead: Prof. Dr Ruedi Baur

2009–2010
Research project “The Coexistence of Chinese and Latin Characters” by the the Multilingual Typography Research Group at design2context funded by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia

2010–2011
“The Coexistence of Chinese and Latin Characters” by the the Multilingual Typography Research Group at design2context funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF)

2012–2013
“The Coexistence of Chinese and Latin Characters” (second project phase) by the the Multilingual Typography Research Group at Haute Ecole d’Art et de Design Geneva funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF)

2008–
Teacher of hand lettering at Burg Giebichenstein Academy of Art and Design Halle (Saale), Germany, Communication Design Department

2011–12
Teacher of typography in the field of screen media at the University of Applied Sciences in Hildesheim, Germany

2012–
Teacher of cross-cultural visual communication (design of new teaching units, occasional basis) at Burg Giebichenstein Academy of Art and Design Halle (Saale), Germany, Communication Design Department

2014–15
Teacher of conceptual book design, Braunschweig University of Art, Germany

2016
Teacher of conceptual multilingual typography, Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Institute of Book Research

2006
/ Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig, Basics of Hand-Lettering (one-semester term)

2007
/ Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig, Basics of Hand-Lettering (one-semester term)
Luxun Academy of Fine Arts, Shenyang, Multilingual Typography, Switzerland in China (one-week workshop)

2008
/ Nanjing University of the Arts (School of Design), Global Exhibition of Characters (talk)
/ Berlin University of the Arts, Latin-Chinese Letterings for Selected Places in Berlin (one-week workshop, with Andrea Schmidt)
/ TYPOBerlin 2008 Conference, In Other Eyes – On Chinese Classifications of Latin Type (talk)

2009
/ Hong Kong Polytechnic University (School of Design), Multilingual Typography Workshop (two-week term)
/ Seoul National University, Multilingual Hand-Lettering (three hour miniature workshop), Cross-Cultural Design – Between Germany and Asia (talk)
/ Leipzig Academy of Visual Arts, Chinese Typography (talk at the class of typeface design)
/ Design Irumaru 2009, Seoul, Multilingual Typography (talk with Seonil Yun)

2010
/ China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, Multilingual Typography workshops (one-week workshop and two-week term)
/ Phoenix Design Summer 2010, Hangzhou, Typeface Design at the Crossroads (two-week summer workshop)
/ China University of Communication (School of Advertising), Beijing, Type Design for Chinese Proverbs (two-week term)

2011
/ SAME/DIFFERENCE Hong Kong Multilingual Typography Symposium 2011, co-organization and talk
/ Hong Kong Baptist University (Academy of Visual Arts), Multilingual Hand-Lettering (two-day miniature workshop)

2012
/ Leipzig Book Art Institute (allaphbed), Bauhaus and Constructivism and their influences on Chinese typography in the 20th Century (talk)
/ ATypI Hong Kong 2012, Learning How To Swim – on Transcultural Typography and Type Design (talk)
/ Hong Kong Baptist University (Academy of Visual Arts), hand-lettering (miniature workshop)
/ Burg Giebichenstein Academy of Art and Design Halle (Saale), IN/BETWEEN, a Fictitious Institute of Transcultural Visual Communication, design theory and practice unit (one-semester term)
/ ISIA – Istituto Superiore per le Industrie Artistiche, Urbino (Italy), Latin Calligraphy Workshop (one week term)

2013
/ Leipziger Typotage 2013, transcultural typeface design (talk)
/ ISIA – Istituto Superiore per le Industrie Artistiche, Urbino (Italy), Latin Calligraphy Workshop (one-week term)
/ Macao Polytechnic Instiute, Four Intercultural Typography Workshops

2014
/ Konfuzius-Institut Leipzig
/ ISIA – Istituto Superiore per le Industrie Artistiche, Urbino (Italy), Latin Calligraphy Workshop: Trust Your Eyes (one-week term)
/ Konfuzius-Institut Bremen
/ Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen

2015
/ ISIA – Istituto Superiore per le Industrie Artistiche, Urbino (Italy), Pensare con la Cina (e sulla Cina), conference talk with François Jullien
/ ISIA – Istituto Superiore per le Industrie Artistiche, Urbino (Italy), Lettering and Image – Calligraphy in the Field of Illustration (workshop)
/ Akademia Sztuk Pięknych w Gdańsku, Gdansk (Poland), Talking Type – Narratives Behind the Glyphs (talk), Show Me Your Letters, I Show You Mine (workshop)
/ Dortmund University of Applied Science and Art, Institute of Book Research, Many Voices – Commentary and Annotation (workshop)

2004
Postgraduate Scholarship of Saxony-Anhalt

2009
Ars Lipsiensis, Dresdner Bank Leipzig Art Award

2012
Hiii Illustration International Competition, Best of the Best

2013
Hiii Typography International Competition, Bronze Award (Chinese type design category)

2014
Tokyo TDC Annual Awards 2014 nominee work (typeface design category)

2015
Artist Residency, Hong Kong Baptist University (Academy of Visual Arts)

2002
Internship, German Delegation of Industry and Commerce, Shanghai

2005–
Art Director, INSIDE A Communications AG, Berlin & Beijing

2007
Art Director, Info Town Media, Beijing

2005
Daole! Arrived!, Room With a View Gallery, Shanghai
Mayflies – young illustrators in Germany, AGI, Kulturbrauerei, Berlin

2008
Shanghai (Urban Public) Space, Land’s End, Hamburg
Global Typography Exhibition, Nanjing University of the Arts

2009
Design Irumaru, Sang Sang Madang, Seoul

2010
City Moves, Asia Unlimited, Berlin
1. Grafikdesign Biennale Deutschland China 2010, Schlachthof, Offenbach (Main)

2012
Type Landscape – Typeface Design Today, China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing

2013
Leipziger Typotage – Type in the 21st Century, Museum of the Printing Arts Leipzig
Roman Wilhelm 羅小弟 – Intercultural Typography Works 2002–2013, Macao Polytechnic Instiute

2014
TDC Exhibition 2014, ginza graphic gallery (ggg), Tokyo
TDC Exhibition 2014, ddd Gallery, Osaka
路遇 unterwegs. Installation, Grafik, Schriftkunst, Kunstverein Die Brücke, Landarbeiterhaus Kleinmachnow

2015
Hong Kong Baptist University (Academy of Visual Arts), Choi Hung Gallery
4th Typojanchi (타이포잔치) Biennale, Seoul Cultural Station 284