Interview With The Vampire
Interview With The Vampire
A custom typeface in five styles
for the AMC TV show
© by AMC Network Entertainment LLC, 2010-2024
Peter Nitz Zürich
Peter Nitz Zürich
Logotype for a world class craftsman and designer
© by Atelier Peter Nitz
Olivia Palermo
Olivia Palermo
Design of the word mark for a new, international fashion brand.
© by Olivia Palermo Group Inc.
FamiraFonts
FamiraFonts
Find my retail library of fonts and custom type solutions at www.famiraFonts.com
© by FamiraFonts
The Helmut Lang Logotype
The Helmut Lang Logotype
Design of the new word mark for an international fashion brand
© by Helmut Lang LLC
In de Knoei
In de Knoei
Typographic concept for a paperback novel by Belgian author Herman Brusselmans.
© by Eprom Organisatie Adviseurs, ’02
Moving card
Moving card
Illustration and custom type for my moving announcement card to NYC in 2005
© by Hannes Famira
Keiko Text
Keiko Text
Upcoming release of a family of typefaces in four optical weights
© by FamiraFonts
Hannes Famira
Hannes F. Famira

→ I am a graphic designer, a type designer and a teacher of both disciplines. After more than 20 years in the Netherlands, in Switzerland, the USA and in Germany I now live in New York City again. I drew the typeface you are reading right now and called it Interpol Serif. I also hand-coded this website in BBedit, old school HTML5, CSS3 on the back of ExpressionEngine. Thanks for visiting my site and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me…

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News

Since I moved back to New York in January 2014 there have been lots of exciting new developments. Check back here to see what I am up to. Also let me know if you have ideas or want to get something done…


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March 2024

Professor at Penn State

permalink: http://famira.com#professorship

I am honored to have been awarded the prestigious Stuckeman Professorship in Interdisciplinary Design from Penn State University 2024. I am very much looking forward to working with Professor Emily Burns and holding a lecture that will be open to all students and faculty of Penn State University on October 16.

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Read more…

December 2023

Monocle Magazine - Issue #168 November 2023

permalink: http://famira.com#monocle

Natalie Theodoso writes for Monocle Magazine. She is making an excellent point about a recent trend in branding and wordmark design in the fashion industry. I am proud that she is quoting me as an authority in her article Sign of the Times of the current November issue.


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Read more…

August 2016

Type@Cooper Extended Program, a year of hardcore type design

start: October 03, 2016
where: The Cooper Union in New York City
permalink: http://famira.com#coopertype_extended_1617

Good news, this October I will start teaching type design in the Type@Cooper Extended Program. I am honored to be taking over from Stephane Elbaz, Christian Schwartz and Berton Hasebe. Here is what I am planing to do in the year ahead.

In the fall term we will explore the different forces that shape the design space in typeface design. Then we will create a revival project based on a text typeface of the participants’ choice. The one limitation of course will be that the original must have been released before 1940, which places it in the public domain. In the spring term we will take what we learned and use it as a starting point for an original typeface project with the one caveat that it has to be be made to work in text size and distinguish itself from the revival project by featuring the exact opposite kind of contrast. In the final term participants will take their original typeface projects and turn it into a family.

So long story short, I am really looking forward to meeting the 2016/17 class of America's next freggin' delta force of type design. Stay tuned and I will report back once we get started.

Read more…

March 2016

Workshop mailing list

permalink: http://famira.com#mailing_list

Let me keep you up to date about classes and workshops that I teach and sign up for my mailing list. I will send one out about once or twice a semester.



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Work & play

I read something that Milton Glaser allegedly said about his clients also being his friends and I found it to be very true for myself. Most of my clients are indeed friends (or quickly become so). If that shift in the relationship does not happen, it usually signals their limited life expectancy as clients. I love being a collaborator and, as a designer, delivering unique work is very close to opening up as a person. The outcome has proven that my work benefits hugely from the comfortable milieu of trust and friendship.

I studied graphic and typographic design at the KABK (Royal Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague) in the Netherlands. After apprenticeships at Studio Dumbar and the Font Bureau I worked at Meta Design, the Buro Petr van Blokland and House Industries. I started my own design studio Das Kombinat in 1999 and the Kombinat-Typefounders in 2001. Now I am in the process of re-inventing the type foundry part under the new name famiraFonts

To see what I am working on right at this minute you can also check out my Dribbble account. Also it is unfortunate that some of the nicest jobs I have worked on are still protected by non disclosure agreements so I can’t show them. Here are a few pieces however that I can talk about.

For more of my work history please check my bio section…
Interview With The Vampire
Interview With The Vampire
A custom typeface in five styles
for the AMC TV show
© by AMC Network Entertainment LLC, 2010-2024
Peter Nitz Zürich
Peter Nitz Zürich
Logotype for a world class craftsman and designer
© by Atelier Peter Nitz
Olivia Palermo
Olivia Palermo
Design of the word mark for a new, international fashion brand.
© by Olivia Palermo Group Inc.
FamiraFonts
FamiraFonts
Find my retail library of fonts and custom type solutions at www.famiraFonts.com
© by FamiraFonts
The Helmut Lang Logotype
The Helmut Lang Logotype
Design of the new word mark for an international fashion brand
© by Helmut Lang LLC
In de Knoei
In de Knoei
Typographic concept for a paperback novel by Belgian author Herman Brusselmans.
© by Eprom Organisatie Adviseurs, ’02
Moving card
Moving card
Illustration and custom type for my moving announcement card to NYC in 2005
© by Hannes Famira
Keiko Text
Keiko Text
Upcoming release of a family of typefaces in four optical weights
© by FamiraFonts
48h Neukölln
48h Neukölln
Custom typeface for Berlin's biggest cultural festival in 2013
© by FamiraFonts
GAK Symbols
GAK Symbols
For the Dutch department of labour’s way finding system while at Studio Dumbar.
© by the GAK
Céline
Céline
Custom typeface for a fashion brand commissioned by Studio Peter Miles
© by Céline
Keiko Titling Pro
Keiko Titling Pro
Released with FontShop in '98 the ffBlocker was my first attempt at clean outlines
© by FamiraFonts
Made with my own hands
Made with my own hands
I make things. It gives me joy and allows me to shape the environment I live in. Here are some of my projects.
My first typeface ffMutilated
My first typeface ffMutilated
Released in 1994 as a FontFont
© by Hannes Famira
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Clients

In the course of roughly fifteen years of professional practice I have worked for a whole lot of people. Here are some of them as they come to mind and in alphabetical order. I will add some more as I remember (my brain is like a colander, to paraphrase)…
Atelier Peter Nitz Zürich, type design, logo design Bellweather Agency, type design, logo design Buro Petr van Blokland, a little bit of quite literally everything Céline, corporate typeface Christian Schwartz, drawing type edenspiekermann_, web design and type tech Emigre, type tech fsi FontShop International, type tech Fred Smeijers, type design GoDaddy, type design Hello Mr., type design, logo design Helmut Lang, type design, logo design Hoefler&Co, type design House Industries, type design, web design Inter Ikea Systems, database publishing Letterror, web design and type tech, also the original icon for TTX Luc(as)Fonts, type design and PR Mansur Gavriel, type design Marc Jacobs, corporate typeface Meta Design, type design Mexx International, interaction design and icons Müller&Hess, custom typeface for du magazine Ogilvy, type design, logo design Olivia Palermo, type design, logo design Ontwerpwerk, type customizations Rosenfeld, type design, logo designSchrift&Bild: Stulle, type customizations and interaction design Spherical, type design, logo design Studio Anthon Beeke, custom typeface for Dutch lottery tickets and custom typeface for installation in Tweede Kamer (Dutch parliament) Studio Dumbar, corporate design and work on the Dutch euro coins Studio Peter Miles, custom typefaces T.I.S. - Top Image Services, type design, logo design océ  Technologies, custom encoded Garamond with old style figures in the times of ResEdit! Theory, type design, logo design THEORY+, type design, logo design Thinstroke, type design Type@Cooper, re-building the program’s website on ExpressionEngine • And many more…

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Teaching

I love teaching. The most important part of which is convincing the students that they are free to be bold and create the most beautiful work they have in them. And then there are the methods and skills of course, the craftsmanship. I have taught various design, typography and type design classes at a number of schools and universities. I started in 2002 at the SfG, Basel School of Design. Since 2011 I have been fortunate to teach at the Type@Cooper Program. Check out my account of the summer class of 2012. For more details about my teaching experience please check my bio section…

Type@Cooper work space panorama 2013 scroll to pan

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Blackboard

Discussing the intricacies of the roman lower case g
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The Grolier Club

A visit to one of New York City's finest rare books collections
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Final presentation

On the last day of the Type@Cooper Condensed program students present their projects. I believe this is Christian V. at the bat.
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Student sketches

Design Space workshop, 2014
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Field trip to Amsterdam

In 2004 I took my Basel class of Typographic Designers on a week in The Netherlands. We visited museums, local design studios, saw the old masters and ate heaps of bitterballen.
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Workshop participants

Workshop: Understanding and Experiencing the Designspace. Every year Jesse Ragan’s Extended students manage to surprise with their level of skill and comprehension.
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Group critique

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The Butler Library

As part of the Type@Cooper Condensed Program we take the students to visit a number of rare books departments. Here we are at Columbia University.
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Poster project

Undergraduate, Typography II
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Group critique wall

Type@Cooper Condensed Program, summer 2013. A review of the first step towards the student's own, original, digital typeface.
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45 vinyl sleeve

Undergrad, Typography II
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Original typeface project

Undergrad, Experimental Typography
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All student work is copyright © by the students who created it or in some cases by the respective schools they were enrolled in.
I have taught individual, private type design classes for beginning and advanced students. I coached students in building their portfolio and served on the committee for student admission.

In Switzerland I was a member of my school's working group that wrote a detailed standard—course description, syllabus and lesson plan—for the creation of the new undergrad Graphic Designer program. I also served as a specialist for new media to the board of the centralized Swiss federal exams and as an examiner for type design and new media on the board for the state exams.

    Names of classes I have taught

  • Typografie und digitale Medien (Typography and Digital Media)
  • Computergrundlagen (Introduction to the Computer)
  • Neue Medien (New Media)
  • Entwerfen I (Design I) co-teaching with Peter Olpe
  • Zeichen, Schrift (the mark, the type)
  • Schriftgestaltung (Type Design)
  • Typography I
  • Typography II
  • Experimental Type
  • Type Design
  • Advanced Design - Type Design
  • Principles of Typeface Design 1: From Pen to Pixel
  • Principles of Typeface Design 2: Beyond the Basics
  • Typedesign and Lettering
  • Introduction to type design: Hand drawn type - The Roman Letterforms
  • Introduction to type design: Hand drawn type - The Italic Letterforms
  • Introduction to Digital Type Design in FontLab Studio v.5
  • Type@Cooper Condensed Program
  • Type@Cooper Extended Program

    Workshops I have taught

  • Type Design Basics – 5 days
  • Understanding and Experiencing the Designspace – 2 days
  • Introduction to Robofont – 1 day
  • Type Design – 1 day
  • Type on Screen – 4 days
  • Grundlagen der Schriftentwicklung (Basics of Typeface Development) – 2 days
  • Von der figürlichen Skizze zur Bildergeschichte (From a Figurative Sketch to a Story in Pictures) – 5 days
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Bio

Since graduating from the Royal Academy in The Hague in 1996 (that was before there was a Type]Media program) I have mostly worked independently. The few times I was employed are still very special experiences to me. I learned a lot, met the nicest people and worked on some pretty cool projects.

Current positions

since 2000

FamiraFonts

Principal of digital type foundry: FamiraFonts (formerly Kombinat-Typefounders) is a publisher and distributor of digital typefaces. We work with our clients on custom tailored typographic solutions, but we also license the fonts in our exclusive retail library, which are available only from our New York City headquarters and from FamiraFonts.com .
since 2006

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, School of Art

Adjunct Lecturer: 
  • Principles of Typeface Design 1: From Pen to Pixel
  • Principles of Typeface Design 2: Beyond the Basics
  • Advanced Design - Type Design
  • Experimental Type
  • Typography II
  • Introduction to type design: Hand drawn type - The Roman Letterforms
  • Advanced Design - Type Design
  • Introduction to type design: Hand drawn type - The Italic Letterforms
  • Introduction to Digital Type Design in FontLab Studio v.5
since 2007

AiSS, Art in Social Structures

Member of advisory board: Learn more about Art in Social Structures in this lecture by Senam Okudzeto…
since 2011

Type@Cooper, Extended Program

Lecturer in the Extended Program: Workshops in the Extended program: "Understanding and Experiencing the Designspace"
since 2012

Type@Cooper, Condensed Program

Co-teaching in different constellations with Sumner Stone, Just van Rossum, Ewan Clayton, Andy Clymer and Troy Leinster.: In this 5 week long program the students are step-by-step taken from the very basics of type design to completing their own, original typeface.
since 2024

Stuckeman Professorship in Interdisciplinary Design

I was awarded the Stuckeman Professorship by The Pennsylvania State University

Experience

2020 – 2021

Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, Mason Gross School of the Arts

Part Time Lecturer: Design 1-A Typography
2002 – 2005

pbs Paritätische Berufsbildungs Synode

Member of the committee for the Swiss federal exam: Specialist for New Media
2003 – 2014

TypEdu.org

Author and Webmaster: The now defunct website TypEdu.org provided a web based reference and a general forum to the students of my type design classes.
2012 – 2013

HAWK FH Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen

Adjunct Lecturer: Typography and Digital Media
2009 – 2012

LucasFonts

Freelance type designer: Drawing type, work on extensive family of MM fonts, making coffee.
1999 – 2011

Das Kombinat

Principal: As my work had become more and more centered around type design and production, which is covered by the Kombinat-Typefounders it was time to fold the graphic design label Das Kombinat back into the foundry. By no means did this mark the end of my personal investment into graphic design, it simply did not require its own label any longer.
2010

FontShop International

Freelance type technician: TrueType hinting for ClearType
2007 – 2008

House Industries

Type Designer
2007 – 2007

CCNY, City College of New York

Adjunct Professor : Typopgraphy I
2006

New Jersey City University, Visual Arts Department

Adjunct Professor: Typedesign and Lettering class
2002 – 2005

SfG, Schule für Gestaltung Basel, Switzerland

Teacher: In the foundation year as well as on the post graduate level and in continued education I taught the following classes:
  • Schriftgestaltung (Type Design)
  • Zeichen, Schrift (Mark and Type)
  • Neue Medien (New Media)
  • Entwerfen I (Design I) co-teaching with Peter Olpe
  • Computergrundlagen (Introduction to the Computer)
In addition to teaching these classes I coached students in building their portfolio and served on the committee for student admission. I also served as a specialist for new media to the board of the Swiss federal exams and as an examiner for type design and new media on the board for the state exams.
1997  – 1999

Buro Petr van Blokland en Claudia Mens

Graphic and Typographic Designer: At the studio located in Delft I took care of the corporate typefaces and logo fonts for some of the major Dutch banks and insurance companies, a strong demand for euro signs and dived head on into database publishing and the mysteries of Robofog.
1997

The Font Bureau Inc.

Type design intern: Picking up some basic drawing and production skills under the watchful eye of Tobias Frere-Jones and David Berlow.
1996

Studio Dumbar

Graphic design intern: Development of a series of pictograms for the way finding system at the Dutch department of labor.

Education

1992 – 1996

KABK, Royal Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague, The Netherlands

Student: BA, Graphic and typographic design
1991 – 1992

SfG, Schule für Gestaltung Basel, Switzerland

Student: Gestalterischer Vorkurs (foundation course)
1989

Freie Universität Berlin

Student: Film and Theater Sciences
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Bibliography

Over the years my work has been in a number of publications. I am trying to keep an up-to-date list of it here. Please let me know if you spot anything that should be added to this.

Slanted Magazine

Slanted Magazine

The Art Type issue presents international artists who use and examine type and language in their work. My interview was conducted by Wolfgang Wick of Buero MAGENTA. You can read the interview here…
«Type should be fun»
MAGMA Brand Design, Dec. 2013, vol. 22,
Type Navigator

Type Navigator

This Independent Foundries Handbook introduces 20 small, and very small type foundries, among them my outfit, the Kombinat-Typefounders.
Jan Middendorp and TwoPoints.Net
Die Gestalten, 2011, 320 pp, in English language
Made with FontFont

Made with FontFont

“Made with FontFont” is a companion to “FiFFteen”, an exhibition celebrating FontFont and FUSE. Edited by Erik Spiekermann and Jan Middendorp, it showcases the history and influence of the award-winning foundry with real-world examples of FontFonts in use. Featured here is my typeface the ffBlocker.
Jan Middendorp and Erik Spiekermann
Mark Batty Publisher, 2007, 352 pp, in English language
e (FontShop magazine #11)

e (FontShop magazine #11)

This special edition of the FontShop magazine was published to the occasion of Erik Spiekerman being awarded the third Gerrid Noorzij price on February 18, 2006. The book contains contribution and dedications by numerous Dutch designers and friends showcasing a brief history of Erik's work and his influence on the contemporary type design scene. Presented here is my typeface ffBlocker.
Jan Willem Stas and students of the Type]Media program at the KABK
FontShop Benelux, 2006, vol. 11, 96 pp, in English language
Ha daar gaat er een van mij

Ha daar gaat er een van mij

The title translates to “Hey, there goes one of mine!” — This is a book about design in the Hague/Netherlands from 1945-2000. Presented here is my typeface ffBlocker.
Author Jan Middendorp, design Huug Schipper
010 Publishers, 2002, 304 pp, in Dutch language
Zwiebelfisch

Zwiebelfisch

My interview was conducted via email by Emanuela Fechete.
Created by the students of Freie Hochschule für Grafik Design und Bildende Kunst in Freiburg, Germany. Read the interview here…
Jos Fritz Verlag Freiburg , 2003, 80 pp, in English language
Schriften österreichischer Designer

Schriften österreichischer Designer

The title translates to “Typefaces of Austrian Designers” — An irregularly published, loose leaf newsletter, showcasing Austrian type designers. This issue was dedicated to my super family of typefaces, called Interpol.

Design Austria (the Society of Austrian Graphic Designers), 1998, vol. 5, 6 pp, in German language
Haagse Letters

Haagse Letters

The title translates to “Letters from The Hague” — "InterPol" and "InterSerif", early versions of the typeface family Interpol Serif and Interpol Sans were published in the book Haagse Letters.
Author Mathieu Lommen, design Peter Verheul
Buitenkant, 1996, 72 pp, in Dutch language
KABK Eindexamenboek

KABK Eindexamenboek

The title translates to “KABK Degree Show Book” — Every year the Royal Academy of Fine Arts produces a book featuring student work, one graduate per page. Typefaces presented here are Interpol Serif and Interpol Sans.
Studio Matzwart, Paulina Matusiak and Carrie Zwarts
KABK, 1996, , in Dutch language
con form

con form

In 1996 the KABK, Royal Academy of Fine Arts hosted the annual ATypI conference in Den Haag. To that occasion it published this book, showcasing the state of type design education at the Royal Academy. Typefaces presented here are ffMutilated, Interpol Serif and Interpol Sans.
David van der Wij, Jesse Skolnik, Bas Smidt and Paul van der Laan
KABK, 1996, 32 pp, in English language
Sluitzegels voor Tuberculose Bestrijding

Sluitzegels voor Tuberculose Bestrijding

The title translates to “Sealing Stamps for Fighting Tuberculosis” — Catalog of the second design contest held by the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in cooperation the Royal Dutch Tuberculosis Foundation for the design of the annual sealing stamp. Winning designs by Maaike Janssen and Hannes Famira.
Studio Matzwart, Paulina Matusiak
KABK and KNCV, 1994, 48 pp, in Dutch language
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Articles

Some stray old texts about this and that. Also check out my contributions on Quora.com. If you are interested in anything in particular or have a question please just drop me a note…
12-2023

Monocle

Natalie Theodoso writes for Monocle Magazine. She is making an excellent point about a recent trend in branding and wordmark design in the fashion industry. I am proud that she is quoting me as an authority in her article Sign of the Times of the Forecast issue- a special edition ahead of the new year. Please read the entire article below.
read the rest after the fold…
01-2021

Victor Gaultney’s Italics Interview

On a grey afternoon in May 2017 Victor Gaultney visited me in my Brooklyn apartment. He was conducting research for his PhD thesis at the University of Reading. So we had some coffee and talked type. Then just recently, on January 21, 2021 he published his thesis (congratulations!) and now, with his gracious permission I am posting below the raw transcript of his interview with me. As a special treat the questions are set in a brand new italic that I am currently drawing for my typeface Interpol Sans.
read the rest after the fold…
09-2015

The infinite design space interview

In the late summer of 2015 Thomas Jockin, the designer of the typeface Azote and the initiator of TypeThursday in New York visited me to conduct the following interview. It was first published on Medium and is here re-posted with gracious permission.
read the rest after the fold…
09-2015

How we read letters by Denis Pelli

The (Web)fontday is a conference for designers of digital media as well as for front-end and mobile developers. Here is the talk of psychophysicist Denis Pelli, Professor of Psychology and Neural Science at NYU. In his talk «How We Read Letters» he explains in plain language his amazing legibility research and mentions some of the work we collaborated on.
read the rest after the fold…
03-2015

The complex task of the serif

What are serifs good for, why do some typefaces need them and others don't? This question addresses one of the fundamentals of type design, the function of the serif in the context of contrast. Understanding this issue is much easier when explaining it from the vantage point of calligraphy but for all of us non-calligraphers, here is an explanation that tackles it from a purely empirical perspective.
read the rest after the fold…
11-2014

The letter proof, testing step-by-step

The proof document is a multi-page piece of typography, created to visually explain a font in every detail to the type designer themselves. Its nature is educational and it communicates the most critical kind of affection that a designer can have for their own work. It aims to reveal a typeface’s weaknesses.
read the rest after the fold…
05-2014

Resources for getting started with Robofont

When getting started working with the type design application Robofont I recommend to check out the links and downloads that I compiled below. This is a list that I prepared for my students but I think anyone new to Robofont might find some of these basic pointers useful. Please don't hesitate to suggest changes or additions. And now have fun…
read the rest after the fold…
03-2014

The inverse hierarchy of typography (draft)

There is a perceived order of things where the large determines the smaller. It is more a gut feeling than a law of physics but it seems logical that bigger objects determine the fait of smaller objects. It is my opinion that in typography the laws of nature are actually turned on their heads. Let me convince you.
read the rest after the fold…
08-2013

Interview in Slanted Magazine #22

Wolfgang Wick of Buero MAGENTA conducted this interview for Slanted magazine by email in the summer of 2013. This issue runs under the title Art Type and presents international artists who examine type and language in their work. Featured are also a number of essays and interviews that focus on the intersection of art, design and typography.
read the rest after the fold…
02-2003

Zwiebelfisch interview

This interview was conducted via email by Emanuela Fechte for Zwiebelfisch, a German design magazine created by the students of the Freie Hochschule für Grafik Design und Bildende Kunst in Freiburg, Germany.
read the rest after the fold…
05-2000

Interview by A.Calahan

In 2000 Anthony Calahan visited The Netherlands in order to conduct research for his PHD and to talk to local type designers. While this interview with Paul van der Laan and myself is clearly very dated and we were just out of art school, I find it interesting how much has changed not least of all the landscape of the type foundries.
read the rest after the fold…
09-1997

A new glyph for the European currency

When the new, unified European currency was first introduced type designers all over the world scrambled to get their hands on workable character design standards and ways to technically implement the euro into the very limiting font technology existing at the time. This is a blog post I wrote in ’97, during that first wave when type designers basically invented the design principles of the euro on the basis of the meager and in part just plain faulty information that was publicly available then.
read the rest after the fold…
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 up
Typefaces used on this site are Interpol Sans and Interpol Serif.
All web fonts, served using the @font-face rule are provided by FamiraFonts.
Except where noted differently all contents is copyright © 2024 by Hannes F. Famira. All rights reserved.
Logos and trademarks are property of their respective owners and do not constitute an association, affiliation or relationship with the entities in any way.
Last updated on Sunday, July 15, 2024.
For more information, please send mail to hannes@famira.com.
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