My Thoughts on the Movie, Typeface

I attended AIGA’s showing of Typeface and was hit with equal parts whimsy and sadness. On one hand, the history, the process and the people inspired me. At the same time, it hurts to see a dying art die.

The film centers on a print shop/museum struggling to stay alive both for the type industry and the struggling Wisconsin town around it. It made me sad to think that something so beautiful and once influential could fall by the wayside and dwindle into obscurity. I felt guilty as a modern designer, having never had to toil away typesetting every letter. Yet, I envy those who have had the privilege.

The movie sparked my love for silkscreen printing and laser engraving, two processes that share many of typesetting’s obstacles. Still, I couldn’t help but want to throw myself into type, carve a block of wood or whittle a kazoo at least.

My heart aches for one of the characters, Norb, a man who has been churning out wooden type for ages and considers himself the last expert still doing it. It was obvious that he was loyal to the trade, taking a purist approach to typography. He expressed a desire to pass his knowledge on to young people, ultimately giving in to the reality that the young person would need/want to be paid with money that the shop did not have.

A handful of young designers provided an encouraging story in the movie. Calling themselves the “Post Family”, they had begun collecting wooden type, used tools, and a battered press to begin there own artist collective. Their effort to acquaint themselves with these beautiful methods was for me, romantic. They provide hope that there is a future for the art of typesetting even if there isn’t.

I loved the movie. It didn’t seem as artistically done as Helvetica, for example, but Typeface’s narratives should blow you away. If it doesn’t conjure up some level of nostalgia, you’re dead to me.

I’d love to get some reactions from others who have seen the documentary. I’m just blowing bubbles…