RSVP: June 13th + 14th TDC Talks At Parsons
TDC at Parsons: Tobias Frere-Jones and Nina Stössinger
June 13 @ 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Join the TDC at Parsons for an evening double feature, followed by a reception.
In Letters We Trust | Tobias Frere-Jones:
For centuries, letterforms have been a means of security for citizens and governments alike. This talk will explore the ways that letterforms have been used in plain sight and in secret, to thwart forgery. Some strategies have relied on high-profile collaboration, and others on home-grown cunning. Interwoven is a story of war and peace, technology, culture and economics. The narrative will focus on banknotes from the American Colonial period to the present day, with additional examples of passports, government permits and lottery tickets.
Journey to the Dark Side of Contrast | Nina Stössinger:
It is one of the most fundamental conventions in Latin typeface design that verticals are made thicker than horizontals. But what if they aren’t? Designers who have challenged this rule often emphasize the outrageous strangeness of letters wearing their thicks and thins the “wrong” way. So is “reversed contrast” just a recurring but ultimately useless provocation – or might this largely neglected quadrant of design space yet yield promising, perhaps even useful new solutions? A tale of convention and contrast, exploration and experiment, of breaking and making the rules of design.
Bios:
Over 25 years, Tobias Frere-Jones has established himself as one of the world’s leading typeface designers, creating some of the most widely used typefaces, including Interstate, Poynter Oldstyle, Whitney, Gotham, Surveyor, Tungsten and Retina. His work is in the permanent collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 2006, Royal Academy of Visual Arts The Hague (KABK) awarded him the Gerrit Noordzij Prijs. In 2013 he received the AIGA Medal in recognition of exceptional achievements in the field of design.
Nina Stössinger is a Senior Typeface Designer at Frere-Jones Type. Originally from Basel in Switzerland, she graduated in multi-media design from Burg Giebichenstein University of Art Halle/Germany. She went on to receive a CAS in Type Design from Zurich University of the Arts, and an MA in Type and Media from the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. Nina teaches type design at Yale University School of Art, serves on the Board of Directors of the Type Directors Club. Her published type designs include Conductor (with Tobias Frere-Jones), Nordvest, and FF Ernestine.
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TDC at Parsons: Neville Brody
June 14 @ 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Neville Brody is coming to New York to speak on “Type and Time” as part of our TDC at Parsons program, followed by a reception.
Different eras, different societies, and different peoples demand different ways of communicating. As technology, tools, and tasks change over time, the languages we speak and the way we speak them need to evolve to remain appropriate and relevant. This fluid approach to type design and usage underpins the work of Neville Brody, from his early hand-drawn type for record covers and magazines in the eighties through experimental type venture FUSE in the nineties, to recent work for Samsung, Channel4, and Coca-Cola.
Brody presents his type thoughts and expressions through the ages and talks about his ideas for the future.
Bio:
Neville Brody is acknowledged as a seminal designer specializing in digital design, typography, and identity. His insight and passion for pushing creative boundaries informs the work of Brody Associates, the collaborative creative agency he founded.
His main focus is on exploring the edges of visual languages and seeking an experimental approach to design and communication.
His work over three decades ranges from album sleeves and identities for cultural institutions to corporate work for global businesses.
Brody is also Dean of the School of Communication at London’s Royal College of Art. He is a Royal Designer for Industry, and past president of Design & Art Direction, which promotes creative excellence. He lectures globally on design and education.
