Collections posts at Letterform Archive

May 29, 2018
Collections

This Just In: Herbert Matter Letters & Logos

Sketches, comps, and cut paper tell the visual tale of a master designer at work.

April 17, 2018
Collections

This Just In: Posters of May ’68

We commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Paris uprising with a collection of posters by the Atelier Populaire (Popular Workshop).

Lutte Contre Le Cancer Gaulliste (Struggle Against the Gaullist Cancer)

March 30, 2018
Collections

From the Collection: Thomas Ingmire, Susan Skarsgard, Suzanne Moore

Among our holdings of contemporary calligraphy are three artists who break boundaries between visual art and the written word.

Suzanne Moore, Zero: Cypher of Infinity, 2014. — Suzanne Moore, Zero: Cypher of Infinity, handmade book, Vashon Island, WA, 2014, 28 x 38 cm.

March 16, 2018
Collections

This Just In: The Nuremberg Chronicle

Now at Letterform Archive, a landmark of 15th-century bookmaking.

We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of our first complete incunable (book printed before 1501). The Nuremberg Chronicle is one of the most densely illustrated and technically advanced incunables, and helps us tell the story of letterforms in the early years of printing.

Index half-title page, Nuremberg Chronicle. The calligraphic woodcut opening this German edition reads “REgister Des buchs der Croniken…” (Index of the book of Chronicles and stories with figures and images from the dawn of the world until this our time.). Note the ligatures with shared stems (‘de’) and marks that distinguish ‘u’ from ‘n’ (“pildnus-sen”) and indicate a double ‘n’ (“unnsere”).

February 15, 2018
Collections

This Just In: Saul Bass

Bass’s timeless minimalism made him the godfather of the modern movie poster. Several original prints recently arrived at the Archive.

Saul Bass, The Man with the Golden Arm, 1955. (Detail, see full poster in gallery below.)

January 25, 2018
Collections

From the Collection: The Alphabet Lithographs of Jean Midolle

An enigmatic portfolio of fantastical lettering styles continues to fascinate designers and historians. Our guest author Dan Reynolds highlights a few favorite plates.

From left to right, letters from the Spécimen des écritures modernes… portfolio: Gothique Composée; Midolline; Alphabet Lapidaire Monstre; Alphabet Diabolique, Emile Simon fils press, France, 1835. (All cropped, see full images below.)

January 22, 2018
Collections

This Just In: Jason Munn

Jason Munn’s minimalist gig posters capture a conceptual duality, inviting music fans to take a closer look.

Jason Munn, Beirut, 2015. (Cropped, see full poster in gallery below.)

January 9, 2018
Collections

From the Collection: Redfoxpress

The globe-trotting, mind-bending books of Francis Van Maele and Antic-Ham consistently inspire vocal reactions from our visitors.

Berlin, Ireland, 2015 — Berlin, photographs taken by Franticham in Berlin in November 2014, screenprinted at Redfoxpress studios, Ireland, 2015.

Artists’ books, simply put, are works of art created in the form of a book. Letterform Archive shows work from our artists’ book collection in every tour we lead. We like to think of each as a complete thought — a thoroughly considered work from start to finish. The materials used to create the book and how the reader interacts with it are equally as important as the images or text the reader sees.

We’re delighted to have several works by Redfoxpress in our artists’ book collection. Originally founded in Luxembourg in 2000 by Francis Van Maele, Redfoxpress is now located on Achill Island (Ireland) and has been co-run by duo Francis Van Maele and Antic-Ham — or Franticham — since 2005. They are creators of screen prints, photographs, stationary, zines, and especially artist books. Redfoxpress participates in book fairs all around the world, including the Bay Area’s very own Codex, which is where we first learned of their work in 2013.