Without Type: The Dynamism of Handmade Letters

On view at San Francisco Center for the Book is Without Type: The Dynamism of Handmade Letters , an exhibit of handmade letterforms created in a broad variety of mediums and tools. All the work is original and unique, and from a wide range of cultures, through history. The work on view extends from the 15th century manuscript to Wes Wilson’s rock handbills from the 1960s. There are some really wonderful pieces from around 1920 by El Lissitzky, Fernand Leger and Kurt Schwitters. My favorite of the show is a poster design sketch, circa 1950, by Le Corbusier. This exhibit is organized by Letterform Archive in San Francisco; the work is from their collection.

Without Type: The Dynamism of Handmade Letters

at San Francisco Center for the Book, 

375 Rhode Island St., San Francisco. 

Through April 3, 2016. 

Admission is free.

Type@Cooper West Lecture Series

Beginning February 23, The Book Arts & Special Collections Center at the San Francisco Public Library, The Cooper Union, and Letterform Archive are partnering to present Type@Cooper West. This is a fabulous lecture series that will delve into the nooks and crannies of typography, and even better, the lectures are free.

On Tuesday, Feb. 23, Sumner Stone, veteran typeface designer, and Rob Saunders, Curator of the Letterform Archive, will present “Luscious, Lascivious, and Literary Letterforms.”

On Wednesday, March 9, Valerie Lester, author of the first English language biography of Giambattista Bodoni (1740-1813)—the celebrated Italian typographer, type-designer, compositor, printer, and publisher—will present “Bodoni, the Face Behind the Face.”

On Tuesday, March 15, Ewan Clayton will present “Edward Johnston: Calligraphy & Typeface Design.” Edward Johnston’s block letter type for the London Underground celebrates its centenary this year.

On Tuesday, March 29, type designer Dan Rhatigan will show us some now-classic typefaces that have become part of our overall typographic landscape in “Tailored Typography.”

All lectures begin at 6 p.m. in the Koret auditorium of the Main Library and admission is free. This twelve-part lecture series runs through November 2016. Future lectures will include topics such as: the history of the sans serif, William Addison Dwiggins, early italic faces, and font technology. 

For more information:  coopertype.org/lectures/west.