San Francisco's Letterform Archive Makes 1,500 items and 9,000 images integral to the history of typography, graphic design, and written communication available for free online
SAN FRANCISCO, April 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- During the Dark Ages, monasteries were the repository of knowledge. With the Renaissance, writing took flight with the invention of the printing press. Since then, the beauty of the written word has manifested itself in artistic lettering styles and typefaces. Nowhere on Earth is this beauty, creativity and artistry more important - or more available, free, to the entire world -- than at San Francisco's nonprofit Letterform Archive (www.letterformarchive.org). This unparalleled collection of typographical artifacts debuts online in a moment when the world needs it the most.
"This has been a dream since before the archive opened five years ago, and this launch was planned long ago," says Rob Saunders, founder and executive director of Letterform Archive. "But what a perfect moment for radical accessibility, inspiration and delight to all who love letters and design. At a time when good news is in short supply and so many resources have gone dark, we hope to light a creative spark."
In 2015 Saunders, a collector of the letter arts for over 40 years, opened his personal collection to the public, offering hands-on access to over 60,000 items. For the last four years, Saunders and his team of librarians, curators, developers, and designers have been preparing for this moment: making its world-class digital trove of typographical artifacts available - free of charge - to anyone and everyone on the planet. The Archive's online repository of digitized materials related to lettering, typography, calligraphy, and graphic design spans thousands of years of history. Opened as a beta in 2018, the Online Archive was previously available to members only.
"Our collection represents centuries of design history for the benefit of current and future generations of design students, professionals, and researchers," said Saunders. "Some come with specific research ideas in mind, while others are simply looking for inspiration. Invariably they stumble on something unexpected. Serendipity is key to the Archive experience."
During its five-year history, Letterform Archive has welcomed over 10,000 visitors from 30 countries, including students, practitioners, and letterform admirers from every creative background. Later this year, the Archive will move into a new, expanded building, providing more hands-on access, when such access is once again available.
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SOURCE Letterform Archive
