Klaus Krogh, cofounder of the graphic design company 2K/Denmark, died October 6 at age 74, after spending more than four decades creating beautiful and accessible Bibles. His typefaces appear in Bibles around the world.
Krogh believed that better Bible aesthetics and readability would encourage better Bible engagement and reading.
“If you are about to publish a Bible, you have no excuse not to make it readable,” Krogh said. “Unreadable Bibles are of no use. That’s salt without power—what can you use it for?”
Krogh began his career as a graphic designer and production manager for the Norwegian Bible Society from 1982 to 1987, making hymn books and Bibles.
In 1987, he and his wife founded the company 2Krogh, later renamed 2K/Denmark. In a 2021 interview, Krogh said the rebrand was to avoid confusion in English-speaking markets. He laughed: “We couldn’t make Bibles with a company [that sounded like it was] named 2 Crooks, so we had to change it again.”
Through 2K/Denmark, Krogh developed three typefaces—Bible Sans, Bible Slab, and Bible Serif—likely to be very recognizable to Bible readers. The designs work to balance aesthetics with the space efficiency demanded in Bible printing.
The company describes the typeface Bible Slab, for example, as a “low contrast design [that] makes it withstand even the toughest printing conditions” and can create a “fully readable Bible in no more than 600 pages.”
2K/Denmark became known for its excellent work handling typesetting and production for complex texts, particularly the Bible. They worked with customers in more than 43 countries, including HarperCollins Christian Publishing and United Bible Societies.
“When people see a Bible that they recognize as readable, it’s all these choices that made it readable: the typeface, the size, the kerning,” Krogh said. “We actually create beauty that actually creates a difference in the way you perceive the message.”
Krogh wanted the Bible to be accessible to all types of people, too. In 2024, Krogh helped Lifeway Christian Resources and Crossway Publishing release dyslexia-friendly versions of their Bibles. He took on the project after a woman approached him at an Evangelical Christian Publishers Association event and urged him to design a Bible for those with dyslexia, which affects up to 20 percent of the global population. 2K/Denmark collaborated with Cambridge University researchers over years to develop the Grace typeface, with letters and words easier for people with dyslexia to read.
At the time, Krogh told CT he hoped his new typeface would spread to other translations: “A typeface like the Grace typeface works better the more you see it and get used to it.”
After his death, Ascension, a Catholic study materials company and one of 2K/Denmark’s clients, praised Krogh’s attention to detail: “Klaus understood that these books were more than functional objects; they were vessels through which people could encounter God more deeply. For that, Klaus cared about every single detail. He knew what was at stake.”
Pastor and Bible teacher Tim Wildsmith, who has written books about Bible translations, also paid tribute to Krogh’s passion for Scripture: “Klaus was a legend in the world of Bible typography and typesetting, and through 2K/Denmark he devoted his life to making God’s Word more readable. … Klaus leaves behind an incredible legacy, and I know his influence will continue for generations to come.”
Krogh is survived by his wife, Liv; his two daughters; and two grandchildren.
Lea Rathje, 2K/Denmark’s chair of the board and Krogh’s daughter, along with 2K/Denmark CEO Sune Andersen said in a statement that Krough died “suddenly” and that they were in shock. They promised to “continue his life’s work: to make the next Bible our best one yet.”
“Two of Klaus’s great passions, typographic design and the Word of God, found their perfect union in Bible design and typesetting,” they wrote. “This was the craft to which he faithfully dedicated his life, while always having energy to spare for new ideas and initiatives. He was a true force of nature, and he poured his whole heart into every single project— of which there were many.”
