Explore the relationship between Arabic and Latin letterforms through a branding exercise guided by an experienced type designer. In this workshop, participants will create the Arabic equivalent of a Latin brand’s logo. The first session will start with a one-hour lecture about the contexts of the different Arabic calligraphic styles. Then, participants will draw an […]
Join us for an in-depth exploration of Design Action Collective’s archives with designer and educator Sabiha Basrai. Design Action Collective was founded in the early 2000s by two members of Inkworks Press. For over 20 years, the shop has been producing graphics to serve social justice campaigns and grassroots organizations. This salon will feature […]
With Angy Che Unlock the power of the iPad to create dynamic, polished, and punchy lettering pieces. No previous Procreate or lettering experience is required. In this four day workshop (over two consecutive weekends), participants will learn how to bring words to life through the art of lettering. Although we'll use the iPad and […]
with Marie Otsuka This workshop will cover a variety of technical techniques for typesetting multiple scripts on websites, with a focus on CJK writing systems. Typesetting different languages together can be a challenge for online projects. This 2-day intensive will review HTML and CSS techniques on formatting typography for multiple scripts, especially with East Asian […]
See a slice of the Archive and commune with typography lovers during the largest design festival on the West Coast. Where does your design inspiration come from? Maybe it’s time to get off the internet and into the library! Letterform Archive holds one of the world’s best collections of graphic design and typography artifacts. On […]
with Eve Scarborough, Jada Simone Haynes, Mikhail of Hearts To celebrate Pride month, the Archive features a selection of work by Queer*+ designers, curated by members of the Collections Team. To celebrate Pride month and the ongoing struggles for equity, this salon will showcase insights and perspectives of Eve Scarborough, Jada Simone Haynes, and Mikhail […]
Learn to think systematically about type and make your own font in 10 weeks! (In the San Francisco area? See the in-person version of this workshop.) During this 10-week online workshop (Thursdays from June 13 through August 22. No class on July 4), you'll learn what it takes to create your own original typefaces and gain an […]
Around the turn of the 19th century, a revolution left the world of typography utterly different from what it had been. The explosion of new type styles during this period—including the modern face, the fat face, the slab serif, and the sans serif—reflected new technologies and ways of thinking that set the stage for modern […]
In this Member Nerd Out, we’ll guide you through our favorite examples of concrete poetry and asemic writing in the Letterform Archive collection. This presentation will be followed by an opportunity to show some objects from your own home with fellow letterform Nerds across the globe.
Letterform Archive’s fifth gallery exhibition, Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.: Citizen Printer, explores the bold language, graphic typography, and colorful layering in a wide variety of printed artifacts such as broadsides, maps, church fans, handbills and oversized posters produced throughout his career. Encompassing the evolving trajectory of Black liberation in the United States, from growing up in the ’60s during the […]
There is more to the texts of type specimens than the ubiquitous "Quousque tandem abutere…" of Cicero’s first oration against Catiline. Careful reading of type specimens, especially those of the nineteenth century, reveals widespread patriotism, jingoism, and cultural chauvinism; historical and literary allusions; references to topical events; wordplay, sophomoric humor, and parody; and bald self-promotion. […]
The text block is fundamental to creating any typographic system, whether on the page or on screen. But what typeface to use and at what size? How do we determine line length and leading? And what about readability and hierarchy? Over the course of two days (Saturday to Sunday, September 14–15 from 9am–5pm), we will […]