Education
Education is central to the Archive’s mission. We host public and private tours, present lectures and salons, and offer public workshops in person at the Archive and online for a global audience. At the core of our educational programming is Type West, a yearlong course in typeface design.
Type West
Deepen your knowledge of typography, expand your creative skillset, and design your own typefaces with Type West.
Type West is a yearlong, postgraduate certificate program in type design available in person in San Francisco or online to students worldwide. Designed to accommodate the schedules of working professionals through evening and weekend classes, it is the only program of its kind on the West Coast.
Public Workshops
Learn something new, or polish up your skills.
Public workshops, held in person at the Archive and online, broaden your typographic knowledge and expertise, or offer a chance to experiment and have fun. Our instructors are working professionals with deep expertise and diverse backgrounds. Workshops typically run for a total of 12 hours, broken down into shorter weekly sessions or two consecutive weekend days.
Lectures and Salons
Explore history, practice, and the Archive’s collection from experts worldwide.
The Letterform Lecture Series, part of the Type West curriculum, presents guest experts who delve into topics on typography and lettering. Offered ten times a year, these free talks livestream to a worldwide audience and video recordings are available on Vimeo for later viewing.
The Archive Salon Series features a member of the staff — or a guest expert — taking a closer look into specific collections or themes within the Archive. Salons offer a unique chance to discuss the work we love while showing the objects themselves.
We also offer public lectures in conjunction with the San Francisco Public Library throughout the year on a wide variety of topics relating to typography, graphic design, and their connection with our culture at large.
Guided Tours
Experience our exhibitions or the depths of the Archive, stewarded by a knowledgeable guide.
Discover the captivating history of written communication through Letterform Archive’s guided tours! Whether you’re a student, designer, or a type enthusiast, tours offer a unique opportunity to explore the Archive’s collection and exhibitions.
Public Tours
Delve into graphic design history with guided tours of Letterform Archive’s permanent collection. From medieval manuscripts to digital type, witness an inspiring range of human expression through design on one of our Collection Tours.
Exhibition Tours offer insights into Letterform Archive’s thought-provoking exhibitions. Our hosts provide context to displayed pieces and the stories they tell.
Private Tours
These custom tours are optimized for classes, corporate teams, and other groups.
For educational groups, our approach is interactive, involving self-exploration, reflection, and discussions. We encourage students to bring a notebook and pencil.
Research Visits
Dive deep into the material that quickens your heart.
Letterform Archive offers one of the world’s best special collections and design reference libraries. Students, academic researchers, and professional designers with a specific focus can engage deeply and independently with a few materials on a single topic, designer, format, or discipline.
We offer two-hour sessions of self-guided time with materials prepared just for you and up to three other guests. Let us know what you want to see, and we’ll pull it for you in advance.
Looking to visit our reading room for unguided research into a particular topic? Request a Research Visit.