with Angie Wang Deepen your understanding of the typographic niceties of setting text—from the letter to the page.\ 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 […]
with Kevin Barrett Kane, Emma Christine Hall Learn the fundamentals of book design from seasoned pros, including layout, typesetting, cover design, and manufacturing. During this in-person weekend workshop (Saturday–Sunday, June 24 and 25), participants will learn about book and cover design history and practice. Learning Outcomes Learn the basics of professional typesetting in InDesign […]
with Kevin Barrett Kane, Emma Christine Hall Learn the fundamentals of book design from seasoned pros, including layout, typesetting, cover design, and manufacturing. During this in-person weekend workshop (Saturday–Sunday, June 24 and 25), participants will learn about book and cover design history and practice. Learning Outcomes Learn the basics of professional typesetting in InDesign Apply […]
Accounts of the origins of the alphabet contribute to the broad history of ideas. Many vivid intellectual traditions have flourished, and some have been set aside, discredited by “modern” scientific methods of archaeology and forensic science. Turning our attention to these varied lineages, we see not only a history of the alphabet, but also different […]
Dig into overlooked design history and get a sneak peek at Letterform Archive’s forthcoming research hub on women in metal type. Ever wonder who originally designed your favorite typefaces? Many of the fonts we use today (such as Futura, Helvetica, Baskerville) originated in the metal type era (late 1800s to 1950s) when hot metal typesetting […]
New Ideas in Visual Language features new Letterform Archive acquisitions from Curatorial Fellow Vivian Sming. This pop-up exhibition presents books and prints that highlight unusual letterforms, modular typography, unique and collaborative reading experiences, and contemporary artists using language in their work.
Our Curatorial Fellow, Vivian Sming, will present highlights from her new acquisitions for the Archive that are in dialogue with our existing collection. We’ll see unusual letterforms created by bookworms, modular typography, unique and collaborative reading experiences, and books by contemporary artists using language in their work. This event will be held on-site at Letterform […]
Explore Dafi Kühne's dynamic typographic letterpress posters during this special in-person event at Letterform Archive. The letterpress posters of Dafi Kühne are vivid, loud, and definitely atypical of letterpress style. Why would a designer choose to use analog technology to produce posters in the 21st century if not to get that classic look? Join to […]
Online and local at Letterform Archive!
Opening Reception for Strikethrough: Typographic Messages of Protest, a collection of over one hundred objects that chart a typographic chant of resistance across more than a century of protest movements. The exhibition showcases typographic anger and agency as seen in the streets, on the printed page, and even on the bodies of demonstrators. This collaboration […]
In 2018, Céline Hurka and Hidetaka Yamasaki worked on interpreting historical Bauhaus alphabets as digital fonts, in the context of the “Adobe Hidden Treasures” project. Céline worked on a design called Alfarn, which is based on a hand-lettered poster by Alfred Arndt from 1923. Hide digitized a design based on a lettering sketch by Carl […]
Hosted/Organized by: Letterform Archive In 2019, San Francisco artist Zai Divecha created 36 paper sculpture letters and numbers for the annual 36 Days of Type challenge. This fast-paced design competition was the artist’s first foray into letterforms and typography. The resulting sculpture installation, Quiet Type, was selected as one of six winners by Adobe, the […]