August 8, 2017
Shani Avni: Ismar David and the First Hebrew Typeface Family
TDC Salon: August 8, 2017. “Ismar David and the First Hebrew Typeface Family” with Shani Avni
Ismar David was a prolific calligrapher, type designer, illustrator, architect and educator. From the 1930s until the 1990s, he lived and worked in Berlin, Jerusalem and New York. His most important work is the David Hebrew Typeface family. It was the first of its kind when it was issued in 1954, and up until today it is the pinnacle of Hebrew type design. What are the challenges entailed in designing a Hebrew typeface family? How did David tackle these obstacles? Why is this work paramount and what has become of it over the years? This talk is based on the research of designer Shani Avni for her MA thesis at the University of Reading, which sheds light on David’s fascinating design process and ground-breaking results.