Letterform Archive

A nonprofit center for inspiration, education, publishing, and community in lettering, typography, and graphic design. We post items from our collection of over 100,000 objects.

#Typography #Lettering #GraphicDesign #Books #Library #Museum #DesignMuseum #DesignSchool #DesignPublisher #DesignBooks

Public Key

npub1pcv0z28t2ln695c4zv8f850g36rneqgqtvyr87m8r7ya4l0458yss843cw

NIP-05 Address

letterformarchive@typo-social.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsqux839r440eaz6v23xr5n685gapeusyq9kzpnldn3lzw6lh66rjgpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsc5u0lc

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1pcv0z28t2ln695c4zv8f850g36rneqgqtvyr87m8r7ya4l0458yss843cw

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Last Notes

2026-06-13 17:23:05 UTC

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@nprofile…8h2y Thanks for your kind words! We are a nonprofit org with a limited budget, but with our collection and community rooted in design we believe in paying creative professionals as fairly as we can.
BTW, the Type Electives folks are good people and also have a very small budget. (A lot of that workshop rev goes to the instructors!) I would definitely think of their curator role as a kind of fellowship with a small stipend. Still a cool gig for someone with the capacity. — SC

2026-03-09 03:52:12 UTC

See Red Women’s Workshop, Capitalism Also Depends on Domestic Labor screenprint, London, 1975
⁠
In 1974, a group of artists founded the See Red Women’s Workshop to express the challenges⁠
of women’s experiences and to further the women’s liberation movement. Their posters address gender discrepancies in pay, capitalism’s reliance on unpaid homekeeping and childrearing, sexist depictions in advertising, and uniting women against racism.⁠
⁠
Read more about See Red Women’s Workshop in our book, Strikethrough: Typographic Messages of Protest. ⁠ https://letterformarchive.org/shop/strikethrough-typographic-messages-of-protest/
⁠
#IWD #InternationalWomensDay #Strikethrough #LetterformArchiveBooks #PublicationDesign #Printing #Publication #LetterformArchive #Typography #TypographyBooks⁠ #SeeRedWomensWorkshop
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/197/184/605/452/822/original/3ad1912a6be1925a.png

2026-03-08 16:25:20 UTC

https://letterformarchive.org/news/women-in-graphic-design/

2026-02-17 21:09:13 UTC

To mark our 10th anniversary we teamed up with COLLINS to create 100 Tens: 50 interpretations of the number 1 from the Archive, paired with 50 contributions from invited designers. Now you can see them all in one place on our blog: https://letterformarchive.org/news/100-tens-celebrate-a-decade-of-letterform-archive/
#100Tens #LetterformArchive #Typography #Lettering
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/088/016/080/472/301/original/fd959a7094e37dcf.mp4

2026-02-03 17:23:00 UTC

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@nprofile…t077 Ah of course. 🙈

2026-02-03 16:28:55 UTC

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@nprofile…t077 @nprofile…q2x7 The first photo he shows is around the corner from the old Archive location in Potrero Hill. The sign is still there. Also signed by Ware, but with an umlaut?
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2026-01-22 02:13:38 UTC

Join us in San Francisco on March 14 for an unforgettable party to celebrate the Archive turning ten.
Expect great music, drinks, creative activities, and inspiration — all in support of expanding access to one of the world’s deepest design archives.⁠
Get your tickets and be part of the celebration or inquire about corporate sponsorship: https://letterformarchive.org/live/
#LetterfomLive #Ad
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/115/936/330/748/150/686/original/82cc87e23f909992.mp4

2025-12-30 14:49:37 UTC

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@nprofile…9hgr @nprofile…kzxh You can always ask your local bookstore to restock. They generally go by customer demand and can order any of our books from our international distributor.

2025-12-21 16:17:07 UTC

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@nprofile…avgu You’re right. That was since corrected.

2025-12-21 01:25:22 UTC

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“The series immediately drew me in—a row of colorful spines, uniform in height and typography, with a hint at the hand-drawn variety that awaits you on the covers. … Every little tome charms you. While the books are a regular fixture in Czech households, they are rarely seen in the U.S.. I knew we had to bring some home to the Archive.” — Stephen Coles @nprofile…24as
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2025-12-21 01:14:19 UTC

From the Collection: Sylvie Vodáková’s Book Covers for Květy Poezie. Meet the Czech designer who shaped how generations of readers encountered poetry. A new blog post by @nprofile…cav8. https://letterformarchive.org/news/sylvie-vodakova-book-covers/
#Lettering #Books #BookCovers #Poetry #GraphicDesign #Illustration

2025-12-09 19:17:00 UTC

Tezzo Suzuki calendars are on their way to the Archive and we’re telling our Mastodon followers first. Preorder now to get yours by the end of the year. https://letterformarchive.org/shop/tezzo-suzuki-calendar-2026/ #TezzoSuzuki #Ad #Lettering #Typography

2025-12-06 04:14:29 UTC

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Starts in 4 hours! We’ve got some doozies in this one. #ad

2025-11-24 06:26:28 UTC

Our annual Rare Book Sale is back on December 6! Register to get a reminder, and a link to our online sale, with early access for Letterform Archive members. https://letterformarchive.org/shop/rare-book-sale-2025/ #ad

2025-11-12 21:13:56 UTC

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Limited advance stock will be ready to ship before the holidays. Preorder now to reserve your copy. Members receive an exclusive 20% discount today through Friday, November 14.

2025-11-12 21:11:47 UTC

Announcing
Lettres Décoratives: A Century of French Sign Painters’ Alphabets
Our latest book takes an immersive look inside the large lithographic portfolios that inspired public lettering in Belle Époque France. With in-depth research from sign painter Morgane Côme and dozens of rare alphabet plates, it’s an essential reference and delightful guide to the fashionable letterforms that defined the classic French streetscape.
#SignPainting #Alphabets #Lettering #ad
https://letterformarchive.org/shop/lettres-decoratives/?utm_source=Mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Lettres_Announcement

2025-11-08 09:45:39 UTC

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@nprofile…u0v7 Like Nick said, only an estimate. Dates in sample texts are usually within 1–2 years before or after the date the specimen was published. Sometimes more when a specimen reuses samples from previous specimen printings, but a range as big as that 1911–1918 is unusual! In that case we would estimate toward the later end.

2025-10-29 01:44:27 UTC

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@nprofile…sm9x Yes, sadly this is a recurring problem with our AWS connection that we haven’t rooted out yet.

2025-10-16 06:46:53 UTC

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To learn more—and hear directly from contributors like Venezky, Gui Menga, Nick Benson, and @nprofile…wtpt—join our online salon later today: https://letterformarchive.org/shop/the-past-is-always-present-100-tens/

2025-10-16 06:44:16 UTC

Our 10th birthday party continues with a subset of the “100 Tens”. This clip includes fabulous 1s contributed by:⁠
⁠
Antic-Ham and Francis Van Maele of Redfoxpress
Laura Serra @nprofile…ngse
Laura Meseguer @nprofile…txtg
Martin Venezky
⁠
alongside items from the Archive’s collection by:⁠
Ahn Sang Soo
Albrecht Dürer⁠ (orig. Germany, 1525)
Alvin Lustig⁠
Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.
El Ombligo del Libro / Rodrigo Ortega⁠
W. A. Dwiggins⁠
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/115/382/488/433/923/546/original/97f00a84b874b8e6.mp4

2025-08-23 16:44:22 UTC

For friends near Lucerne, Switzerland: In November, the Museum at Bellpark in Kriens will show an exhibition on Roman Scherer, a major wood type manufacturer which was based in that city. https://www.bellpark.ch/29-november-2025-bis-12-april-2026-i-the-quick-brown-fox-jumps-over-the-lazy-dog-die-holztypenfabrik-roman-scherer-kriens-luzern/
We’re lending two of our Scherer specimen books for the show. One is shown in full in the Online Archive: https://oa.letterformarchive.org/item?workID=lfa_type_1457&targPic=lfa_type_1457_002.jpg
#WoodType #TypeDesign #Exhibitions

2025-07-17 23:05:15 UTC

Inside Calligraphic Menagerie: Of Swashbuckling Scribes and Cursive Critters
From centuries-old writing manuals to our new notecard set, flourishing shows the playful side of early modern Europe’s masters of the pen.
https://letterformarchive.org/news/inside-calligraphic-menagerie-of-swashbuckling-scribes-and-cursive-critters/
#calligraphy #animals #birds

2025-04-09 04:41:45 UTC

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@nprofile…pqf8 Can you share any documentation on who drew these faces? Middendorp credited Dooijes under de Roos’s supervision.

2025-04-09 04:31:50 UTC

Amsterdam Type Foundry, Bristol & Carlton (typefaces by S. H. de Roos and Dick Dooijes), ca. 1929.
See the full specimen and hundreds more in the Online Archive: https://oa.letterformarchive.org/item?workID=lfa_type_1589&utm_source=Mastodon
#TypeSpecimens #Typefaces #Fonts #ArtDeco #GraphicDesign #DutchDesign #AmsterdamTypeFoundry #DickDooijes
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2025-04-05 06:16:14 UTC

Varvara Stepanova, flyer for "The Death of Tarelkin", 1922.
Often mentioned only alongside her husband, Alexander Rodchenko, Stepanova was an accomplished artist in her own right. Along with this flyer, she also designed the sets for the production. While it’s not known if she designed the costumes for this production, the image is very similar to the geometric clothing she created for other plays.
#VarvaraStepanova #WomenDesigners #Constructivism #Lettering #CostumeDesign #Theater #Russian
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2025-03-30 14:43:40 UTC

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@nprofile…4hp3 Yes! Past lectures: https://www.societyofprinters.org/videos

2025-03-30 14:09:45 UTC

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Letterform Archive’s associate curator Stephen Coles is speaking at the Society of Printers’s annual Dwiggins Lecture on April 1, 2025. The topic: warmth & snap in type design. https://www.societyofprinters.org/calendar/coles-dwiggins
#TypeDesign #WADwiggins #SocietyOfPrinters

2025-03-30 14:08:48 UTC

Linotype & Machinery, drawings for 11-point Electra (typeface by W. A. Dwiggins), 1930s–40s. Images: Cursive ‘k’ (inverted and flipped); ‘k’; ‘ffi’ ligature; Roman ‘H’, ‘I’, and accents.
Learn about our collection of drawings from the British Linotype company: https://letterformarchive.org/news/linotype-drawings/?utm_source=Mastodon
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2025-03-27 05:05:28 UTC

Inside the file cabinet that holds Emigre’s type development history. These folders include sketches, marked proofs, and correspondence. See an example in the Online Archive: https://oa.letterformarchive.org/item?workID=lfa_emigre_0096
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2025-03-23 15:16:28 UTC

Guerrilla Girls, How Many Works by Women Artists, 1989
#GuerrillaGirls #WomenArtists #WomenDesigners #ProtestPosters #WomensHistoryMonth #1980s #Lettering #Typography
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2025-03-20 06:55:50 UTC

Ann and Paul Rand, Little 1, Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., New York, 1962.
Exciting news is on the horizon… Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know: https://letterformarchive.org/mail/?utm_source=Mastodon
#AnnRand #PaulRand #ChildrensBooks #Ten #Illustration #Lettering
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2025-03-18 15:40:09 UTC

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Calligraphers: have you used this shading technique? What’s your method? How do you get a gradient or multi-color effect?
Learn more about the Richard Sheaff Ephemera Collection: https://letterformarchive.org/news/richard-sheaff-vintage-ephemera//?utm_source=Mastodon

2025-03-18 15:39:03 UTC

unknown calligrapher, San Francisco, ca. 1915.
This card was written at a time when business schools offered courses in penmanship. Heald’s Business College was founded in 1863 and operated at this location on Van Ness and Post from 1913 to 1983. The school was active under the name Heald College until 2015.
Calligraphers: have you used this shading technique? What’s your method? How do you get a gradient or multi-color effect?
#Calligraphy #SanFrancisco #HealdCollege #Ephemera
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2025-03-14 15:41:53 UTC

We’re hiring!
The Digital Marketing Manager will connect Letterform Archive to our community through digital ads, social media, and creative storytelling.
Help us share the joy of letters!
Apply by March 19: https://jobs.gusto.com/postings/letterform-archive-digital-marketing-manager-fbde031d-5aff-4727-8487-7333dda018c8
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2025-03-13 07:31:57 UTC

Introducing a new series of facsimiles that brings the best of our specimen collection to type fans everywhere. The first titles, devoted to Lucian Bernhard, Roger Excoffon, and Aldo Novarese, provide close-up and comprehensive deep-dives into the world of twentieth-century type through their foundry’s original booklets. Dig into the details with editor Chris Westcott: https://letterformarchive.org/news/inside-the-type-by-series-bernhard-excoffon-and-novarese/?utm_source=Mastodon
#TypeDesign #TypeSpecimens #AldoNovarese #RogerExcoffon #LucianBernhard #Typography #GraphicDesign

2025-03-12 05:07:10 UTC

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This clip from KCET Artbound’s 2021 documentary, “Corita Kent: The Pop Art Nun”, describes how she used everyday text to make extraordinary art:
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/114/147/721/354/271/173/original/37a160a29e6bfc94.mp4

2025-03-12 05:05:45 UTC

Corita Kent, handle with care, 1967
& Chevrolet newspaper ad, 1966
We’re celebrating Corita Art Center’s new home with some of our latest Corita arrivals. This piece borrowed an advertising catchphrase and gave it a new (religious) meaning by enlarging and distorting the headline for a screen print.
#SisterCorita #CoritaKent #ScreenPrint #Typography #WomenDesigners #WomenArtists #WomensHistoryMonth
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2025-03-09 05:35:53 UTC

Elaine Lustig Cohen, mailing card for “A Millionth Anniversary”, Meridian Books, New York, 1958.
Letterform Archive is celebrating its own anniversary this year. Sign up to hear the big news: https://letterformarchive.org/mail?utm_source=Mastodon
#ElaineLustigCohen #Typography #LetterformArchive #MidCenturyModern #GraphicDesign
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2025-03-06 17:10:50 UTC

Margaret Kropholler (cover designer), Wendingen, series 10, no. 5-6, 1930.
Margaret Staal-Kropholler, frequently referred to as Margaret Kropholler, (1891–1966) was the first woman in the Netherlands to practice as a professional architect. See more issues of Wendingen in the Online Archive: https://oa.letterformarchive.org/?dims=Periodical&vals0=Wendigen%20magazine&sortby=decade
#Wendingen #MargaretKropholler #WomenDesigners #Architecture #Magazines #Typography #Lettering #DutchModernism #DutchDesign
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2025-03-04 19:56:23 UTC

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Thanks to the Stedelijk Museum, who exhibited facsimiles of these items from our collection, we have a brief bio of Sukonto (sometimes spelled Soeprapto Soekonto). He studied at Hoogere Burgerschool (H.B.S.) in Semarang on Java between Gerindo (Gerakan Rakyat was a member of the student association Sine Nomine [Latin: without a name], and designed their programs for dance parties and plays.

2025-03-04 16:28:39 UTC

Soeprapto Soekonto, theater programs, Semarang, Indonesia, ca. 1931–34. We’d love to know more about this artist, who was perhaps influenced by Hendrik Wijdeveld (posting tomorrow), but with a style all their own. See the six pamphlets in the Online Archive: tap this image in our bio link⁠
⁠
#IndonesianDesign #SoepraptoSoekonto #1930s #Lettering #GraphicDesign
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2025-03-03 17:20:45 UTC

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I think we got it all except maybe “Dec”?

2025-03-03 16:30:43 UTC

Leopold Forstner, Poster (facsimile) for “Wiener Kunst im Hause” (Viennese Art in the House), 1903.
Get to know another nouveau through Jugendstil, the Vienna Secession, and Die Fläche: https://letterformarchive.org/news/die-flache-facsimile-and-the-vienna-secession/?utm_source=Mastodon
We did our best to transcribe the text in the image description. Help us fill in the blanks!
#Jugendstil #ViennaSecession #VerSacrum #LeopoldForstner #Lettering
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2025-03-01 18:46:33 UTC

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Oleg Volodymyrovych Snarsky was born April 15, 1923 in Kyiv. As a Ukrainian graphic artist he was a member of the Union of Soviet Artists of Ukraine since 1962. Along with this manual he designed other books, posters, and postage stamps. He died in 2015. https://uk.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%81%D1%8C%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%9E%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B3_%D0%92%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87

2025-03-01 17:37:54 UTC

O. Снарский [O. Snarsky], Щрифмы/Алфавиты [Typefaces/Alphabets], Kiev, 1979.
One of several lettering manuals and alphabet source books by Snarsky in our collection. See more from this one: https://www.flickr.com/photos/letterformarchive/albums/72157717675267558/
Know more about Snarsky? Tell us!
#Ukraine #USSR #UkranianDesign #Lettering #Alphabets #Cyrillic #Typography #1970s
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2025-02-27 07:36:04 UTC

Jean Larcher, Pop Message Postcards, Dover, 1979
#Lettering #Postcards #JeanLarcher #LetterformArchive #1970s
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2025-02-24 05:56:38 UTC

Leviathan luggage tag, New York, ca. 1930.⁠
⁠
With a crew of over 1,000, the Leviathan was one of the largest passenger ships crossing the Atlantic during its main run between 1922 and 1934.⁠
⁠
In 2023 we announced that the Richard Sheaff Ephemera Collection had found a home at Letterform Archive: https://letterformarchive.org/news/richard-sheaff-vintage-ephemera/?utm_source=Mastodon. We continue to process over 26,000 trade cards, labels, tickets, and other ephemera.⁠
⁠
#RichardEphemeraCollection #Ephemera #LuggageTag #UnitedStatesLinesLeviathan #ArtDeco
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2025-02-21 08:01:17 UTC

Li Cheong Hing, watercolor and postage stamp collage on postcard, Canton (Guangzhou), China, date unknown.
Richard Sheaff collected about a dozen of Hing’s assemblages. They use stamps from all over the world, incl. USA, China, Mexico, and the UK.
#Collage #China #RichardSheaffEphemera #PostageStamps
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2025-02-16 07:51:00 UTC

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We’re compiling all our best articles, videos, and images on topic pages we call “Inspire Me”. The newest installment gathers content and collections that feature calligraphy and lettering: https://letterformarchive.org/calligraphy-and-lettering/

2025-02-16 07:36:03 UTC

Indian movie posters in Devanagari, and Latin, Telugu, and Bengali scripts:
Samaj Ko Badal Dalo | समाज को बदल डालो, 1970
Bhakta Prahlāda | భక్త ప్రహ్లాద, 1967
Kābuli’ōẏālā | কাবুলিওয়ালা, 1957
#Lettering #India #Bollywood #MoviePosters #Telugu #Hindi #Bangali
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2025-02-15 19:18:06 UTC

Want to know how to design typefaces? Our 10-week course with the great @nprofile…57kv is the perfect opportunity to learn the basics in a supportive, online environment. Class starts Feb 26! https://letterformarchive.org/shop/introduction-to-modern-type-design-2025/?utm_source=mastodon
#Fonts #TypeDesign #Typography #Ad

2025-02-14 08:02:17 UTC

Michael Harvey, Calligraphy in the Graphic Arts, London, 1988; and Creative Lettering: Drawing & Design, 1985.
Images 3 and 4 show the difference between calligraphy (written letters) and lettering (drawn letters).
We’re compiling all our best articles, videos, and images on topic pages we call “Inspire Me”. The newest installment gathers content and collections that feature handmade letters: https://letterformarchive.org/calligraphy-and-lettering/
#Calligraphy #Lettering #Pen #Brush #MichaelHarvey #LetterformArchive
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2025-02-11 07:50:13 UTC

Santi Pozzi, Prietto Viaja Al Cosmos Con Mariano at Zaguan Sur, Buenos Aires, 2013.
¡Gracias to Santi Pozzi for his recent donation of seven screen printed gig posters! We can’t wait to put these on the table next to Wilson, Moscoso, and MacLean.
#Psychedelic #Posters #Screenprint #SantiPozzi #Argentina
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2025-02-09 03:58:29 UTC

The Business Printer (back cover), The Porte Press, Salt Lake City, 1931.
+ Indépendant specimen, typeface by G. Colette and J. Dufour, Etablissements Plantin, Brussels, 1931.
The type (https://fontsinuse.com/typefaces/40661/independant) used for this issue of The Business Printer was freshly imported from Europe not long after its release. The typeface’s specimen must have been an inspiration for the back cover.
#Typography #Magazines #Typefaces #Fonts #TypeSpecimens #IndependantTypeface
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2025-02-08 16:27:50 UTC

“In 50–100 years, is the online stuff still going to be there? Well, we don’t know, but what we do know is that on some sign painter’s shelf somewhere in the world will be a set of back issues of BLAG.”
The endurance of print.
#Magazines #PrintDesign #SignPainting
https://typo.social/@blag/113968977882972629

2025-02-07 08:16:29 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…musy From Jen Dao, the curator:
“The upside down 福 represents luck arriving and pouring out into the home. It's also a pun / homophone in Chinese – "upside down luck" sounds like "good luck arrives." The https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu_(character) has more info.

2025-02-07 07:46:21 UTC

Hunter Saxony III, BLM, ca. 2020.
Read more about Saxony: https://letterformarchive.org/news/the-last-black-calligrapher-in-sf/
And see more of his calligraphy in the Online Archive: https://oa.letterformarchive.org/?dims=Name_KEY&vals0=SAXONYIIIHUNTER&friendly0=Saxony%20III%25comma%20Hunter
#Calligraphy #Blackletter #BlackArtists #BlackDesigners #BLM
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2025-02-01 05:52:07 UTC

Open now at Letterform Archive! GOOD LUCK is a vibrant celebration of Lunar New Year, a tradition that honors renewal, connection, and happiness.
This pop-up exhibition explores the rich cultural heritage and modern interpretations of Lunar New Year through custom red envelopes, holiday ephemera, and celebration event posters.
On view in the Reading Room during regular gallery hours; see lettarc.org/visit to plan your visit.
#ChineseNewYear #LunarNewYear #ThingsToDoInSF
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/113/927/069/600/173/294/original/0487f5ed1b987120.mp4

2024-01-10 08:00:22 UTC

Designer and client unknown. As seen in Scan Ad Art: Advertising Art in Norway, Finland, Sweden and Denmark, 1967.
#Illustration #Lettering #Logos #Branding
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2023-09-14 05:36:00 UTC

The first artists and printers to call themselves “designers” advertised their work in the mid- to late 19th century. Their printed ephemera brought color and design innovation to the masses. Soon, thanks in part to a generous donation from collector Richard Sheaff, thousands of fine examples of this blossoming graphic design will join Letterform Archive.⁠
See more of the Richard Sheaff Ephemera Collection: https://letterformarchive.org/news/richard-sheaff-vintage-ephemera/
#Ephemera #Museums #SpecialCollections #IndustrialRevolution
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2023-08-06 04:55:26 UTC

Matching Super-Veloz in use on various Spanish letterheads (ca. 1940s–’50s) to our Super-Veloz specimen book (ca. 1950).
Super-Veloz (AKA SuperTipo Veloz) is a modular typographic system developed by Joan Trochut in 1942, the elements of which can be combined into typographic or decorative forms.
Check out the recording of Alexander Tochilovsky’s 2018 Letterform Lecture to learn more about this experimental typographic system: https://letterformarchive.org/events/view/super-veloz
#Typography #GraphicDesign #ModularType
https://typo.social/system/media_attachments/files/110/840/887/546/598/675/original/e724792a047d34c5.mp4