I don’t think there is an official type month on the calendar, but you would not know it from the events planned for October by the Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography, all related to those little letters. Here’s a sampling:
October 22, 6:30 p.m.François Rappo: “How long should I work on that curve?” A public lecture by François Rappo in the Herb Lubalin Lecture Series (which is part of Type@Cooper program). Rose Auditorium, 41 Cooper Square, New York. Free to the public with RSVP.
Typeface: Brown Regular Inverted by Aurèle Sack, Picture: ECAL/Luke Archer & Reto Schmid
October 23, 6 p.m.Opening reception of two exhibitions focusing on typeface design.Types We Can Make: A selection of contemporary Swiss typeface design curated by ECAL/University of Art & Design Lausanne (Switzerland), in association with the Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography. With the explosion of digital media and international communications, type design has attracted new designers and artists to the field. Swiss designers, in particular, have historically contributed to the development of modern type (Helvetica was created in 1957 by a team of Swiss designers), and their legacy is explored in this exhibition, as new designers draw on the past.
Type@Cooper: Graduates of Cooper Union’s Typeface design program, Type@Cooper, will exhibit a diverse range of their works. Type@Cooper, a first of its kind in the United States, covers a gamut of topics: techniques, technology, aesthetics and personal expression, history, and theory. 41 Cooper Gallery, 41 Cooper Square, New York. Free and open to the public.
Lubalin (center, bottom) wins the toga competition.
October 26th and 27Herb Lubalin: Then and Now Symposium: A two-day symposium celebrating the life and work of Herb Lubalin, and the launch of the new Unit Editions monograph, Herb Lubalin: American Graphic Designer (1918—81).
Herb Lubalin: ThenFriday, October 26, 6:30—8:30 p.m.The evening opens with a short illustrated talk on Herb Lubalin by Adrian Shaughnessy, author of Herb Lubalin: American Graphic Designer (1918—81). This is followed by a panel discussion with friends and colleagues of Herb Lubalin, reminiscing about the man and his work.Panel: Fay Barrows, Louise Fili, Steven Heller, George Lois, Bernie Zlotnick. Moderator: Adrian Shaughnessy
Herb Lubalin: NowSaturday, October 27, 4:30—6:30pmThe evening opens with a short illustrated talk on Herb Lubalin by Adrian Shaughnessy. This is followed by a panel discussion with leading contemporary designers who have been influenced by Herb Lubalin or who regard themselves as working in a tradition established by him.Panel: Matteo Bologna, Tony Brook, Kevin Gatta, Justin Thomas Kay, Matt Owens. Moderator: Alexander TochilovskyThe Great Hall, the Cooper Union, 7 East 7th Street, New York. Free to the public with RSVP.