Although Sütterlin's childhood is currently unknown, the most notable years of his life began when he moved to Berlin and began his profession as a graphic artist—gaining fame for a poster submitted to the Industrial Exhibition in Berlin, Germany, 1896.

Later, Sütterlin worked as a teacher at the "Teaching Institution of the Royal Museum of Decorative Arts" in Berlin, and the future "United State Schools for Free and Applied Arts," where he held courses in artistic fonts.

In 1911, Sütterlin was tasked by the Royal Prussian Ministry of Culture to create courses for preschool and school.

This connection to the education system could possibly have led him to his future ambition to create a national script for Germany.

Most other German states (i.g., Oldenburg, Thuringia, Hesse, and Baden) followed the example of Prussia, so that from about 1930 Germany mainly introduced Sütterlin for education.