June 13, 2018
TDC at Parsons: Tobias Frere-Jones – In Letters We Trust
TDC at Parsons: “In Letters We Trust” with Tobias Frere-Jones
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
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.
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.
This evening also featured Nina Stössinger. You can view her video separately.
Special thanks to Parsons for supporting this evening’s event.