Hermann Tanner was born on 16 October 1873 in
Bern, Switzerland. His father, Simon Tanner, was a publisher,
printer, and head of several Swiss newspapers, including the
Romansh-language ''''. Nothing is known about his mother other than that she was
Romansh. Hermann completed secondary school in
Samedan,
Graubünden, then went on to study business as well as Latin, Ancient Greek, and a few Slavic languages. Thereafter, he became an apprentice, working in
Leipzig and
Munich where he learned
typography,
drafting,
composition, and other skills. From 1890, after his apprenticeship, Tanner worked as a photographer for his father's publishing company in Samedan. In 1901, Tanner became the first
managing director of
Engadin Press AG, which he co-founded with his father.'''' From 1904, Tanner worked as a
type founder, and from 1903 to 1907 was director of several sports
periodicals, including and . a weekly periodical about winter sport in
Bernerland, which was supported by user-submitted advertisements, articles, photographs, and subscriptions. Eventually, Tanner left his position managing his father's firm, to move to
Bern, working as a writer and
publicist. from 1915 to 1918.'' Tanner published his experiences under the title
Front Messages of a Neutral () – they were received positively, with a review in
Die Gartenlaube calling his work: Much of Tanner's work was published in the
Basler Nachrichten;'' Beginning in 1893, Tanner had an interest in
colour theory; he formed the basis of colour standardisation. == Personal life ==