Feature: Typography
Pay it forward
Rubén Fontana devised a system for teaching typography that is grounded in Argentina’s culture and politics
New bottle old wine
Drawing on the punches, matrices, specimens and smoke proofs at St Bride Library, Commercial Classics give nineteenth-century typefaces a new lease of life. By John L. Walters
The enigma of Thérèse Moll
This young designer is credited with introducing Swiss typography to MIT
Return to the square
A chance discovery by some builders led to the adaptation and expansion of a 1930s alphabet by one of Switzerland’s foremost designers
Strategy of excess
Like a human algorithm, Hansje van Halem explores a huge number of variables until she finds the right ‘recipe’ for each project
Bram de Does: the king of (functional) swing
An insistence that technology should match design spurred typographer Bram de Does to create two of the twentieth century’s most beautiful types
Originality and inspiration
It may be unrealistic to expect that every new typeface will be unique and original, but giving up this ambition leads to stagnation
States of independence
The fragmentation of the type market has led to new ways of examining, acquiring and enjoying typefaces … and some confusion
The business of type design
The challenges of earning a living from type design, with honest, thoughtful responses from foundries worldwide