In this unique course taught at Letterform Archive, students will have access to original printed materials and type specimens as a team of instructors from the Archive guide students through key developments in type and design history. Each lecture will be anchored to a curated selection from the collection of over fifty thousand original works of graphic design that are housed at Letterform Archive. During the semester, we will examine both the limits and the possibilities offered by important technological innovations over the course of letterform history. We’ll also look at the way various cultural, political, and artistic movements, styles, and subcultures have historically impacted and interacted with type and letterform design. A study of the development of type and visual communication in art, graphic design, illustration, and popular culture. The influence of political, social, technological, and commercial forces will be discussed and analyzed, with an emphasis on the use and interpretation of imagery, symbols, and type in design. An historical background will be provided through weekly hands-on lectures with primary materials, and students are expected to actively participate in class discussions each week. Students will submit a weekly written report critically assessing some aspect of the materials viewed, and students will collaborate on “setting a table;” curating and discussing works from the Archive for both the midterm and final projects. Letterform Archive | Letterform Archive is a nonprofit center for inspiration, education, publishing, and community. The Archive was founded by Rob Saunders, a collector of the letter arts for over 40 years, as a place to share his private collection with the public. We opened to visitors in February 2015 and now offer hands-on access to a curated collection of over 50,000 items related to lettering, typography, calligraphy, and graphic design, spanning thousands of years of history.

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