Join me at the John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina the week of April 4 for a unique class in designing with Roman Letters…
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A million years ago before there was electricity, I studied ballet. I was a late bloomer, starting in my early twenties and ending in my mid thirties. I had no dreams of being on the stage, I was too old and at 118 pounds, too fat. I just wanted to dance. My teacher was a wonderful Russian gentleman, Alexander Dunaeff. Just when I was considering taking lessons, in my head, he found me.
I was at the counter of an instant printing place and I stood up for some reason, not looking, when I went to sit back down, there was someone in what was I thought was still my seat. So there I was sitting in a strangers lap, totally embarrassed, but he was laughing and we struck up a conversation. Ballet Teacher? Is that so? I started lessons the next week.…
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A spontaneous discussion among the members of Masscribes* at their 20th Anniversary Celebration, in 2007, brought forth a nearly unanimous thought. Hardly a new or revolutionary idea, in fact it was just the opposite. We all wanted to spend more time and effort refining our letterforms. We had all been the route of learning a dozen hands, flourishing, illustrating, painting, gilding, carving and owning every calligraphic tool and gizmo on the market. It was fun, exploratory, expanding, but it didn't do anything for our letters.
As a young graphic designer in the dark ages before computers, I produced everything by hand. Concepts were rendered in marker, all type had to be drawn, especially headlines…
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