One year before Jack the Ripper plunged East London into terror in 1888, Monotype Corp. opened its doors. That gives you some idea of how long this type foundry’s been around, and just how much history must be crammed in its vaults. If you happen to find yourself in New York City next month, you can judge for yourself when Monotype’s retrospective, “Pencil to Pixel,” comes to Tribeca Skyline Studios May 3-9.
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First held in London last year, “Pencil to Pixel” explores the typographic artistry on both sides of that technological divide by dedicating one half of the area to “Pencil,” the other to “Pixel.” If the thought of perusing hand sketches of metal typefaces breaks you out in big silly grins, you will want to be there.
The exhibition provides “a chance for visitors to explore the very physical history of the typefaces they already know,” Monotype Type Director Dan Rhatigan says in a recent FastCoDesign piece. “That story of the relationship of technology to analog typography connects in an unbroken chain of development to the way Monotype creates typefaces and the means of using them today, 125 years after they started.”
Space will be limited; make your free reservations here .
