iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 23/09/2026

One thing we love to do on a tour table is place the page showing P&R’s San Francisco HQ next to a 1891 directory in which the foundry advertised in the margins. archive.org/details/spec... oa.letterformarchive.org/item?workID=...

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 21/09/2026

There are four more titles in the Creative Papers series and all are available for preorder now: letterformarchive.org/shop/categor... #Posters #Prints #GiftWrap #Lettering #Typography #Patterns #GraphicDesign #Olivetti #Emigre #WoodType #GrammarOfOrnament

Cover of a book titled, “Creative Papers: Grammar of Ornament” with a series of thumbnail images and a large folded sheet showing part of a composition of decorative patterns.

Cover of a book titled, “Creative Papers: Botanical Patterns” with a series of thumbnail images and a large folded sheet showing part of a composition of decorative patterns.

Cover of a book titled, “Creative Papers: Olivetti” with a series of thumbnail images and a large folded sheet showing part of a poster covered in multicolored numbers and the word “Olivetti” in the center.

Cover of a book titled, “Creative Papers: Artistic Printing” with a series of thumbnail images and a large folded sheet showing part of a composition of decorative patterns.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 30/08/2026

Identity – A Czech Graphic Design Love Story Sun, Sep 27, 2026 Antiques Roadshow’s Nicholas Lowry (@nicholowry.bsky.social) joins us in person to screen the award-winning documentary, followed by a pop-up of Czech objects from Letterform Archive. Get tix: letterformarchive.org/shop/film-sc...

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 09/06/2026

We're looking for an Art Director to shape the visual identity of our trade art-book publishing program. The role will be onsite at Letterform Archive in San Francisco. Read more and apply: jobs.gusto.com/postings/let... #BookDesign #ArtDirector #DesignJobs

Red graphic with the words “We’re Hiring!” in the center and screened illustrated portraits of people in the background.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 17/04/2026

Ermeler, C. F. (Calligrapher), Lale, J. D. (Engraver), Collection De Soixante-Sept Modèles d' Écritures…, Paris, 1818. oa.letterformarchive.org/item?workID=... One of many writing manuals in the Online Archive: oa.letterformarchive.org?dims=Collect... #Calligraphy #19thCentury #EngravedBooks

Detail of a book page showing a long, continuous stroke from a broad-nibbed pen. Below is the heading, “OBSERVATION.” and some French text.

Page of a book with the heading, “POSTURE DU CORPS.” Pictured are three people sitting at desks with pen in hand and writing on paper.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 13/04/2026

We spent the weekend at #LetterWest in Midvale, Utah where we ran into Hayley Francis (www.typeaffiliated.com/about-2), one of the Archive’s first visitors. She tells us how the tour was a key part of her early career as a lettering artist.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 04/04/2026

Today and tomorrow are your last chances to see GOOD LUCK 2026, a celebration of Lunar New Year co-curated by Jen Dao (姚逸雯) and Sherry Xu Chou (徐雪俐). We’re open 11am–6pm. letterformarchive.org/visit/#on-view

A graphic with red text reading “GOOD LUCK 2026” in English and Chinese.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 04/04/2026

Coming to our Reading Room gallery, April 9 to 26: Tristram Shandy, The First Modern Book, curated by @debbiemillman.bsky.social. Learn more and plan your visit: letterformarchive.org/visit/#on-view

A graphic with a title at the top and a photo of a book below. The title reads, “Tristram Shandy / The First Modern Book”. The photo shows an interior spread of an old book. The text appears typical of 18th-century books until it gets to an illustration of squiggly lines on the lefthand page. On the right, another drawing of a wandering line is labeled with letters. The text describes the line as an illustration of a character’s travels.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 19/03/2026

This is a celebration of courageous leaders and creative minds across the US who harness the transformative power of curiosity to address today’s most pressing problems⁠ and shape cultural conversations. See Rob among the other honorees: www.eamesinstitute.org/curious-100/...

Screenshot of a website showing 10 portraits and the header, “Makers”.

Screenshot of a website with a photo of Rob Saunders and the beginning of his bio.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 19/03/2026

We’re proud to share that Letterform Archive’s founder and curator, Rob Saunders, was selected by the Eames Institute as one of their Curious 100!

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 09/03/2026

See Red Women’s Workshop, Capitalism Also Depends on Domestic Labor screen print, London, 1975 ⁠ In 1974, a group of feminist artists founded the See Red Women’s Workshop to address gender issues such as capitalism’s reliance on unpaid homekeeping and childrearing. #IWD #InternationalWomensDay

Poster screen printed in a single color (reddish brown). It shows a factory at the top with a line of people existing out the right side to the bottom of the poster where they are cared for by a conveyor belt of women, then the enter the left side of the factory.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 17/02/2026

To mark our 10th anniversary we teamed up with COLLINS to create 100 Tens: 50 interpretations of the number 1 from the Archive, paired with 50 contributions from invited designers. Now you can see them all in one place on our blog: letterformarchive.org/news/100-ten... #100Tens #LetterformArchive

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 22/01/2026

Yes! This was a popular French sign painter’s effect at the turn of the century. 1. oa.letterformarchive.org/item?workID=... 2. letterformarchive.org/shop/lettres...

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 22/01/2026

Among other things, Esther (André’s daughter) sold us this incredible unfinished manuscript that serves as an excellent illustration of the steps in the process.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 22/01/2026

From our last visit to the shop in 2023.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 22/01/2026

Join us in San Francisco on March 14 for an unforgettable party to celebrate the Archive turning ten. Expect great music, drinks, creative activities, and inspiration. Discounted early bird tickets are going fast. RSVP by February 1 to grab yours: letterformarchive.org/live/ #LetterformLive

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 04/01/2026

We’re honored to hold hundreds of original lettering sketches and inkings, including early (1970s–80s) logos and lettering, and his ambigram artwork for Dan Brown’s novel, Angels & Demons. We will share more soon.

Sketch and inked artwork for “electricity” ambigram.

Original inked artwork and final print of calligraphic “No.” for a bank ad.

Hand inked original artwork for “Terry Putscher” in a upright Spencerian calligraphic style.

Original inked artwork of “Philadelphia” for a t-shirt shop.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 04/01/2026

On January 1, we lost a master of the ambigram (words expertly drawn so they read the same when turned upside down). In 2022, John Langdon donated his primary archive to us. #JohnLangdon #Ambigrams #Lettering

Overhead view of a table showing a folder labeled “John Langdon”. Contents of the folder are hand-lettered words that when rotated 180 degrees read the same: “symmetry”, “sometimes”, “minimum”, “infinity”.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 22/12/2025

Marget Larsen, Joseph Magnin holiday box, 1963.⁠ One of two gift boxes in our collection from the hip San Francisco mid-century department store, Joseph Magnin. #MargetLarsen #JosephMagnin #Typography #Packaging #Ampersand #MidcenturyModern #VintageChristmas

Top of the box showing a purple ampersand on red background with decorative green border.

A cube-shaped box on a table. Three sides of the box are visible: “XMAS”, “XOXOXO”, and an ampersand.

Closeup of label inside the box reading, “Joseph Magnin (c) 1963 Marget Larsen”.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 21/12/2025

“The series drew me in—a row of colorful spines with a hint at the hand-drawn variety that awaits you on the covers. … Every little tome charms. While the books are a regular fixture in Czech households, they are rarely seen in the US. I knew we had to bring some home to the Archive.” — @stewf.com

A hand pulls a small book from a shelf. The cover is blue, with a casual, hand-drawn illustration of star constellations in the background and a title in the center: Árpád Tóth, Od srdce k srdci.

A row of colorful small books on shelf. They all share the same basic sans-serif type style on the spine, but each has a different illustrative background pattern.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 17/12/2025

Tezzo Suzuki Calendars have arrived from Japan! Order now to get yours before 2026. letterformarchive.org/shop/tezzo-s... #TezzoSuzuki #Calendars #Lettering #Typography #Numbers

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 11/12/2025

Reminds us of the neon sign paintings by our friend Jim Parkinson who passed away earlier this year.

Photo of a painting depicting a neon sign for Hotsy Totsy Club, white letters on a red X and blue background.

Photo of a painting depicting a neon sign for Donut Time, with white letters on a red background surrounding a clock.

Photo of a painting depicting a neon sign for Hotsy Totsy ClubTin Sheung Herbs, with yellow letters on a black background crowned by an art deco ornament.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 15/11/2025

Linear-Antiqua ad/specimen, Ludwig & Mayer, Das Plakat, 1912. (Typeface by Richard Ludwig, 1911 fontsinuse.com/typefaces/23...) Source: iaddb.org?query=search...

Portrait-oriented page showing a monoline slab-serif typeface along with simple dashed border elements.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 12/11/2025

With in-depth research from sign painter Morgane Côme and dozens of rare alphabet plates, it’s an essential reference and delightful guide to the fashionable letterforms that defined the classic French streetscape.

Two spreads from a book showing decorative letters.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 28/10/2025

Our final batch of 100 Tens features contributions from this brilliant bundle of designers:⁠ ⁠ Lucas Sharp⁠ Matthijs Herzberg⁠ @herzberg.bsky.social Nolan Pelletier⁠ @nolanpelletier.bsky.social Craig Frazier⁠ Oded Ezer⁠ Christoph Niemann⁠ @christophniemann.bsky.social Petra Dočekalová Susan Kare⁠…

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 23/10/2025

We continue rolling through 100 Tens to celebrate 10 years of Letterform Archive. This group includes contributions from:⁠ ⁠ James Goggin⁠ @practise.bsky.social Jean-Benoit Levy Jennifer Morla⁠ John Stevens⁠ Tezzo Suzuki Juan Villanueva⁠ Julien Priez⁠ @boogypaper.bsky.social ⁠ #100Tens

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 21/10/2025

100 Tens—our multi-day fest for 10 years of Letterform Archive—spins on! This segment features contributions from:⁠ ⁠ Carl Rohrs⁠ Dinamo⁠ @abcdinamo.bsky.social Erik Van Blokland⁠ @letterror.bsky.social Zuzana Licko⁠ Design is Play⁠ Franziska Weitgruber⁠ Ganzeer⁠ @ganzeer.bsky.social ⁠ #100Tens

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 19/10/2025

We’re celebrating 10 years of Letterform Archive with #100Tens. This segment features contributions from:⁠ ⁠ Thomas Ingmire⁠ Michael Schwab⁠ Sean Adams⁠ Mark SImonson @marksimonson.bsky.social Alejandro Chavetta Clement Mok Marian Bantjes alongside items from the Archive’s collection by:⁠

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 16/10/2025

Our 10th birthday party continues with a subset of the “100 Tens”. This clip includes a wide range of fabulous 1s contributed by:⁠ ⁠ Antic-Ham and Francis Van Maele of Redfoxpress⁠ Laura Serra @laureola.bsky.social Laura Meseguer @laurameseguer.bsky.social Martin Venezky @martinvenezky.bsky.social

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 14/10/2025

To celebrate our 10th anniversary, Letterform Archive partnered with the San Francisco office of COLLINS on 100 Tens — 50 “1”s from the Archive’s collection paired with 50 new works from a range of today’s leading designers. #LetterformArchive #100Tens

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 13/10/2025

Angel DeCora; binding, title page, and initials; Wigwam Stories; 1901–1909 On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we honor Angel DeCora, a Ho-Chunk artist whose lettering filled books like this one. letterformarchive.org/news/angel-d... #IndigenousPeoplesDay #AngelDeCora #Lettering #BookDesign #HoChunk

Binding of a book showing the front cover and spine. The cover has a “WIGWAM STORIES” title featuring triangular lettering.

Title page of Wigwam Stories with the following text:

WIGWAM STORIES
TOLD BY NORTH
AMERICAN INDIANS
COMPILED BY
MARY CATHERINE JUDD
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY
ANGEL de CORA
(CHINOOK • MAHIWI • KILINAKA)
BOSTON • USA
GINN & COMPANY
ATHENAEUM PRESS
1909

Cropped detail of a page from Wigwam Stories showing a drop cap “A” made of tree branches with a wolf peering through.

Cropped detail of a page from Wigwam Stories showing a drop cap “A” made of curved lines and surrounded by phases of the moon. A woman inside the “A” looks upward.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 13/10/2025

Calligraphy by Arthur Baker. We’re honored to hold Baker’s archive of hundreds of drawings, paintings, phototype negatives, and other material. letterformarchive.org/collections/...

Black calligraphic, swashy M and N on paper

Calligraphic alphabet with long ascenders and descenders on paper.

Calligraphic alphabet with hundreds of ‘a’s on paper.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 05/10/2025

The first step in making better type choices is learning how to see it in a new way. Develop your typographic eye with @stewf.com (Anatomy of Type) & @slye.bsky.social (Fontstand) in our weekend “Crash Course in Type Selection”. Oct 25–26 at Letterform Archive letterformarchive.org/shop/a-crash...

A diagram identifying various parts of letters (sometimes called type anatomy), including the spine of an S, the arm of a k, the eye of an e, the arch of an f, the ear of a g, and the tail of an a.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 19/09/2025

Letterform Archive is a living archive, a perpetual project to not only preserve historic design, but to inspire new work. To mark our 10th anniversary we teamed up with COLLINS to create 100 Tens: 50 interpretations of the number “1” from the collection, paired with 50 contributions living artists.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 11/09/2025

Making type is fun! Learn how to create your own font, from sketch to screen (and everything in between) in this 10-week online workshop with Fer Cozzi. Introduction to Modern Type Design Wednesdays, Sep 17–Nov 19, 2025⁠ 5:00pm–8:00pm PT (10:00am–1:00pm AEST)⁠ letterformarchive.org/shop/introdu...

A photo of a woman with letters overlaid on top: “Intro to Modern Type Design / IMTD"

Graphic of a bold lowercase ‘a’ with vector outlines, nodes, skeleton, and other evidence of digital type design.

Graphic of a bold lowercase ‘n’ with vector outlines, nodes, skeleton, and other evidence of digital type design.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 08/09/2025

Đức Cao, Homecooked type specimen, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 2021⁠ ⁠ Homecooked is a casual sans-serif typeface exploring the warmth and expressiveness of the flat brush.⁠ The French foundry Blaze later released Đức’s typeface as Swirl: blazetype.eu/typefaces/sw... #TypeDesign #Fonts #TypeWest

Sample of a typeface in a swirling, calligraphic, outline style.

Process work for the typeface showing gestural calligraphic marks on pages.

Sample of a typeface in a swirling, calligraphic, outline style and other solid styles.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 19/08/2025

Joe Caroff, West Side Story movie poster, United States, 1961⁠ ⁠ Caroff, designer of book covers, posters, and logos, including the “007” for the James Bond franchise, died on Sunday, just before his 104th birthday. Among his iconic creations was this poster often misattributed to Saul Bass.⁠

Detail of a poster focused on the words “WEST SIDE STORY” in a weathered stencil style, and an illustration of a man dancing on a stairway.

Detail of the same poster but showing more of the dancing illlustration, including a woman on the stairway.

Full, uncropped poster with this text on the top, “The screen achieves one of the great entertainments in the history of motion pictures.”

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 05/08/2025

TypeCon2025 happens this week in Portland, and Letterform Archive will have a table at the first-ever Volumes Market (www.instagram.com/p/DMGG9HNP2eG/) which is free and open to the public. Aug 8–9, 11am–6pm at Revolution Hall. See you there? #VintageBooks #BookFair #Books #TypeCon #Typography

Graphic with a collage of books, apparel, and other design ephemera. Text:
VOLUMES PRESENTS MARKET
NEW & VINTAGE COLLECTIBLES BY MULTIPLE VENDORS
AUGUST 8th - 9th, 2025
FREE & OPEN TO ALL @ REVOLUTION HALL

Graphic with the “Volume Presents Market” at the top and a list of vendors in the middle:
Chess Club
Hi Books
Letterform Archive
Monograph Bookwerks
Outlet
Passage Bookshop
The Idea of the Book
The Shop at Matter
& More
11AM - 6PM
8/8 - 8/9 @ REVOLUTION HALL

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 01/08/2025

This [1901] Bruce catalog has a rather odd title page layout, but we love two things: 1. A fairly early halftone photograph of the New York building. 2. “BRUCE QUALITY BEST QUALITY” #TypeFoundries #BruceTypeFoundry #TypeHistory #Typography #TypeSpecimens

Photo of a book spread. On the left page is a photo of a building with this text: “ESTABLISHED IN 1813 / LOCATED IN THIS BUILDING FOR THE PAST EIGHTY-SIX YEARS”.

On the right side is a title, “BRUCE TYPE FOUNDRY” across two columns. The left column has a seal with an eagle, a pattern of fleuron ornaments, and a box with the text, “BRUCE QUALITY / BEST QUALITY”. The second column has this text:

OUR HANDY BOOK OF TYPES, BORDERS BRASS RULE AND CUTS PRINTING MACHINERY & GENERAL SUPPLIES
BRUCE TYPE
FOUNDRY
13 CHAMBERS STREET
NEW YORK, U.S.A.

Zoomed detail of “BRUCE QUALITY BEST QUALITY”

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 18/07/2025

Meant to astonish and amuse, the practice drew countless admirers, but it also provoked many critics, who grumbled over how far it strayed from writing. Birds proved a popular subject for writers, maybe out of respect for the creatures they robbed for their quills.

A bird (made of calligraphic lines) brandishes a quill in Johann Jacob Losenauer’s 1719 book, Vorschrifft, Teutsch- lateinisch- und frantzösischer Schrifften.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 19/06/2025

Hanns Lohrer and Walter Krafft, Folio type specimen, Bauersche Gießerei, Frankfurt am Main, ca. 1959. #FolioTypeface #BauerFoundry #TypeSpecimens #1950s #HannsLohrer #WalterKrafft

Spread of a booklet promoting a typeface. On the left side, small text, rotated 180 degrees, appears to rain down on a black-and-white photograph of a chair. On the right side, a reversed (white on black) photographic silhouette image of spoons with red text between them.

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 18/06/2025

Recently we hosted a tour of Arabic calligraphy and type with Sabiha Basrai, Letterform Archive docent and co-owner of Design Action Collective. Sabiha’s next tour is Design and Social Justice on July 11: letterformarchive.org/shop/collect... #LetterformArchive #DecolonizingDesign #DesignMuseums

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Letterform Archive @letterformarchive.org · 13/06/2025

Nobody does warm modernism better. A mailer in our collection:

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