Letterform Archive

Letterform Archive is a non-profit museum and special collections library in San Francisco, California dedicated to collecting materials on the history of lettering, typography, printing, and graphic design.[1][2][3] It is curated by graphic designer Rob Saunders, who founded the museum with his private collection of "books, periodicals, maquettes, posters, and other ephemera" in 2014.[2] The museum opened in February 2015 with 15,000 items.[3][4] It moved to a larger space in 2020.[5][6] Visits can be scheduled by appointment.[7]

Letterform Archive
Location within San Francisco County
Established2014
Location2339 Third St Floor 4R
San Francisco, CA 94107
Coordinates37.759876°N 122.388169°W
FounderRob Saunders
Websitehttps://letterformarchive.org

The Archive presented the “Without Type: The Dynamism of Handmade Letters” exhibit with the San Francisco Center for the Book from January 22 to April 3, 2016.[8]

Collection

As of 2020, the Archive’s collection totals over 60,000 items.[3] The Archive acquired the private collection of Dutch collector Jan Tholenaar in 2015.[2] In 2016, the Archive acquired over 200 wood type prints from local printer and typographer Jack Stauffacher. Emigre Graphics also donated a large collection of their work, including interviews, printed sheets, posters, paste ups, ephemera, and the entire collection of Emigre magazine, that year.[9]

The Archive launched their digital archive of nearly 1,500 works and 9,000 images to the general public in 2019.[10][11]

Publishing

The Archive publishes books about the material in its collection, including: the work of W. A. Dwiggins, as a full-length biography by Bruce Kennett in 2017;[12] the work of Jennifer Morla, written and designed by Morla in 2019; and the prints of Jack Stauffacher, edited and designed by Chuck Byrne in 2020.[9][13]

Education

The Archive has an education program (previously in collaboration with Cooper Union)[14] which includes Type West, a full-year certificate program in typeface design, workshops on lettering and typography, and a lecture series.[15][16]

The Archive often hosts workshops and lectures. They have previously hosted type workshops by typeface designer Sumner Stone and sign painting workshops by Better Letter Co.[1][17][7]

References
  1. Egan, Neil. "Design Desk: A Visit to the Letterform Archive in San Francisco". Chronicle Books Blog. Chronicle Books. Archived from the original on September 18, 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  2. Merritt, Susan. "Inside the Letterform Archive, Mecca for San Francisco Design Geeks". AIGA. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  3. "About Us". Letterform Archive. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  4. Stone, Terri. "Saving Design | Create". create.adobe.com. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
  5. "A New Home for Letterform Archive". Letterform Archive. July 3, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  6. "We've Moved. Thank You!". Letterform Archive Newsletter. October 13, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  7. "Letterform Archive". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
  8. Zack, Ruskin (2016-01-20). "By the Letter: The Letterform Archive Opens "Without Type"". SF Weekly. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
  9. "Letterform Archive: For the Record". Juxtapoz Magazine. April 19, 2017. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
  10. "The Online Archive Is Now Open to All". letterformarchive.org. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  11. Lee, Giacomo (December 10, 2018). "A trove of graphic design history is yours in the LFA's new online collection". Digital Arts. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
  12. Kennett, Bruce. "W.A. Dwiggins: A Life in Design (prospectus)" (PDF). Letterform Archive. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  13. "Letterform Archive – Publishing". letterformarchive.org. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  14. "Type@Cooper West". Cooper Union. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  15. "Education". Letterform Archive. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  16. "Events". Letterform Archive. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  17. "Opening Digital Doors to Letterform Archive | Better Letters". betterletters.co. December 5, 2018. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
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