Harvey Hunt

05/11/1949 – 04/03/2022

For 72 years, Harvey Hunt lived a life defined by unquenchable curiosity and a relentless pursuit of his passions for music, typeface, and above all else, his family.

Harvey was born in Lincoln, England. He spent his youth as an avid sportsman and musician, excelling at table tennis and football (soccer) and providing lead guitar and vocals in a Beatles-inspired rock band. But at 17, Harvey discovered his first great passion—classical piano. He chased it without hesitation; moving to Israel to study under Enrique Barenboim and later, to the United States, where he received degrees from the State University of New York and Northwestern University.

In 1974, Harvey discovered his next great passion, entrepreneurship, and started his own record label, HNH Records. At HNH, Harvey produced, published, and distributed classical music on vinyl. He also became involved in creating album artwork, which led Harvey to his next great passion, and what would occupy the rest of his professional life—typeface and font software.

In 1980, Harvey started a typesetting business in downtown Chicago’s “Printers’ Row” where he became one of the top three customers worldwide for the iconic German type foundry, H. Berthold AG. For the next 15 years, Harvey rode the wave of a rapidly evolving industry as his business shifted from using typesetting equipment to make print materials to distributing software that enabled his customers to create printed materials on their own.

In 1996, Harvey met his wife, Melissa, along the Miracle Mile in Chicago. Melissa not only helped Harvey discover his greatest passion in life—the family they built together—but as a newly minted attorney, she became his partner in reaching his professional aspirations. Together, they formed Berthold Types, a company that would become the successor to the iconic Berthold type foundry and which remains one of few independent digital type foundries operating to this day. There, Harvey started an e-commerce website at the vanguard of the internet boom, he oversaw a global licensing program with thousands of customers, and he worked doggedly to establish the value of independent digital type. Harvey will be remembered in the type industry as a maverick who fought to build a market for independent digital type, despite stiff competition and rampant online piracy.

Even with his unbridled ambitions, Harvey maintained a rich life outside of work; enjoying world travel, long-distance running, cooking for friends and family, and attending soccer, Formula 1, tennis, and golf matches. Above all else, Harvey’s greatest passion was the family he built with Melissa. His proudest moment was when his only child, Lincoln, was born in 2004, and it was always Harvey’s top priority to be involved in every aspect of Lincoln’s life. For a while, Harvey drove Lincoln more than hour to school; working from his car or a local country club until it was time to drive home, just so he could have those cherished moments with his young son. Harvey also volunteered with youth soccer for years; first, as a parent-coach and a referee, and later, as the manager for Lincoln’s travel teams. In his last few years, Harvey also became a devoted dog parent to a shorkie named Raven.

Harvey passed away peacefully and surrounded by family on April 3, 2022. He is survived by his wife, Melissa, his son, Lincoln, his mother, Margaret, and other family and friends. He was predeceased by his father, Reginald.

A Memorial Service for Harvey will be held Saturday, May 14, 2022 at 1:30 PM at Hardage-Giddens Oaklawn Legacy Lodge, 4801 SAN JOSE BLVD, JACKSONVILLE, FL 32207.