Type West In-Person

Pedagogy & Resources

The history and theory of type design serve as the basis for the core classes of type production. Students practice hand lettering, calligraphy, and drafting as a foundation for original letterform creation and master the digital tools necessary for making fonts. Class size is limited to allow for individual instruction.

Each of the three ten-week terms is supported by two weekend workshops, taught by leaders in the fields of typography and type design. The course curriculum is supplemented by the popular Letterform Lecture series, co-presented by the San Francisco Public Library, featuring visiting scholars and industry professionals, covering a wide range of topics on lettering, calligraphy, type design, and more.

Type West In-Person students have access to an unparalleled typographic library as they research and create their own original typefaces. Librarians, curators, and other members of the Archive’s knowledgeable staff guide students through thousands of type specimens, reference books, and original examples of lettering and graphic design. You'll have an opportunity to request and spend quality time with resources to support your work in regular study halls.

Students also benefit from free admission to the Letterform Archive Salon Series which offers different viewpoints on the Archive’s extensive collection.

Type West In-Person Instructors

Type Design

Maria Doreuli, Lead Instructor, earned masters degrees at the Moscow State University of Printing and the TypeMedia course at The Royal Academy of Art in the Hague. Her type has won numerous awards, including honors from the Type Directors Club and Morisawa. For several years she has run type design and lettering workshops in Russia and in 2014 she founded the Contrast Foundry in Moscow. Maria joins the full-year Type West faculty after serving as an instructor in 2021–2022.

Christopher Slye is a type professional living in the San Francisco Bay Area. He first worked as an independent type designer, developer, and consultant before joining Adobe’s typographic staff in 1997, where he helped to expand the design and functionality of Adobe Originals typefaces. Later, he guided Adobe’s type-related technology and initiatives and contributed to the development of open web font standards. He eventually managed all aspects of Adobe’s business and type licensing programs, including the Adobe Fonts subscription service, until 2020. He was president of Type Network from 2021 to 2023.

Type History

Grendl Löfkvist teaches type history and theory in the Certificate Program. Outside the Archive, Grendl teaches the history of graphic design, book arts, typography, and letterpress printing at City College of San Francisco, as well as calligraphy at the San Francisco Center for the Book. Grendl has ink in her veins: she was an offset press operator for 20 years, and she serves on the board of directors for the American Printing History Association’s Northern California chapter. Her interests include the study of printing as a subversive “Black Art” and she’s always on the lookout for bizarre or macabre print, type, and lettering lore (she is a bit of a goth).

Type West In-Person Schedule*

Trimester One

• Fundamentals of Typeface Design
  Mondays, 6–9pm PT, January 29 – April 8.
• Transformative Technologies
  Tuesdays, 6–8pm PT, January 30 – April 9 (except on the weeks when Letterform Lectures are in session).
• Two (2) weekend workshops taught by leaders in the fields of lettering and type design.
• Study Hall hours with items from the collection (schedule to be determined).

Trimester Two

• Original Typeface Design
  Mondays, 6–9pm PT, June 3 – August 12.
• The Lexicon of Power
  Tuesdays, 6–8pm PT, June 4 – August 13 (except on the weeks when Letterform Lectures are in session).
• Two (2) weekend workshops taught by leaders in the fields of lettering and type design.
• Study Hall hours with items from the collection (schedule to be determined).

Trimester Three

• Type Families
  Mondays, 6–9pm PT, October 7 – December 12.
• Cultural Impact
  Tuesdays, 6–8pm PT, October 8 – December 13 (except on the weeks when Letterform Lectures are in session).
• Two (2) weekend workshops taught by leaders in the fields of lettering and type design.
• Study Hall hours with items from the collection (schedule to be determined).

Tuition

The tuition for each trimester of the 2024 program is $3,130, which covers all workshops, lectures, software subscriptions, including RoboFont and Glyphs, and an Archive membership for the program year. The tuition for the first trimester is due no later than Friday, December 15, 2023, to secure your spot in the program. Payment and scholarships information will be provided in the acceptance notification email.