It is doubtful that typography would have become what it is today without the influence of Wolfgang Weingart. Swiss typography was such a strong force that Weingart breaking away from it and taking it to the next level was an invaluable step in the process toward the typographic variety and richness we see today.

Weingart was ahead of his time, since the visual effects he achieved through traditional media would soon become the language of New Wave design and computer graphics. His work anticipated the computer and his students and those who came after him used the computer to continue his ideas.

Weingart influenced the development of this visual language of layering and play with type through his students who went on to be the first designers to exploit the possiblities of computers in other parts of the world, such as April Greiman and Dan Friedman. He was also a strong influence through his lecture tours and publications. However, Weingart was upset by the exportation of his visual style, going so far as to call those who imitated him "criminalistic copy monkeys." He resented not so much former students, but people who simply copied the tricks without understanding the idea and process. He said, "it was never my intention to create a commercial 'style.'"

In the 1970s he redirected his teaching efforts to include more fundamentals and basic Swiss principles, while encouraging students to find their own directions and forms.