July 18, 2012
Jesse Ragan Photo by: Anna Schori
I’ve been fascinated by letters since a young age, particularly the ways that small nuances of their shapes can affect the overall tone of a text. Letterforms can be manipulated in very many ways, but only within certain limits. Working within those constraints appeals to a very specific obsessive quality I have.
When did you know you were officially addicted? The first time I started typing in a typeface I had created. What a thrill! I had created a tool for communicating text, which can operate independently in someone else’s hands. The design was amateurish and not very original, but right away I could see ways to improve it. And I enjoyed the slow, incremental process of polishing the design. I made that first typeface back when I was an undergrad at RISD. All these years later, there’s still nothing I’d rather be doing. I still get that same thrill.
In your professional practice, how often do you see yourself working on corporate identities? Quite often. Particularly, drawing custom lettering for logotypes. Since these projects tend to be closely art directed, sometimes a client will give me a rough drawing of their idea, and we have a discussion about how to bring more typographic sophistication to the idea. I usually recommend a few possible directions, and then draft the final version. I’ve worked in that capacity for FutureBrand, Landor, and Wolff Olins. And of course you guys at TIO!
Some of the TIO projects to which Jesse has contributed.
Type is crucial to branding, especially for the kind of minimalist aesthetic that often appeals to corporate clients. When you strip corporate communication to its bare minimum, text is the one element that almost always must be present. So the shapes of the letters and their placement in the layout can be the sole vessels of visual communication.
What are your favorite kinds of projects? I really enjoy working with graphic designers who aren’t afraid to be ambitious with custom type or lettering, but who know when it’s time to call in a typeface designer for help. People who know what they want but keep an open mind for my perspective. Working collaboratively and combining our strengths makes it possible for us to create something that fits perfectly into a larger design system. Working solo is also very rewarding, so I always devote a portion of my time to developing new typefaces for retail sale. But so far that’s more a labor of love than a source of steady income. One project I’m very excited about is a large type family inspired by historical types from the late 1800s. A project like this can get unwieldy since I’m just one person designing 30 font styles, with a lot of variables at play. But I’m reaching the home stretch, and I’ll be releasing it through a type foundry in a few months.
Jesse's new revival family in progress.
Web fonts have fully arrived in the past two years, and they have dramatically changed the terrain of typeface design as an industry. But there’s a big difference between fonts that can be used on the web and typeface designs that are tailored especially to work well onscreen. Rasterizing vector outlines at lower resolutions imposes unique design constraints. Legibility is challenged, subtle characteristics get lost, and enclosed counterforms tend to fill in. To make a good web font, these problems should be addressed by the typeface designer from the start. I’m currently working on some new typefaces with the demands of onscreen use in mind. Technological innovation is one of the things that keeps typeface designers on their toes, and that’s been true for centuries. As we continue to see increased screen resolutions (like on the new MacBooks), the constraints for typefaces will change. But onscreen type will always require different design considerations than printed type.
A new typeface for the web, which Jesse is currently testing for headlines on his website.
Yes, pricing models are in flux. Different providers have different rates, and it may be a while before new industry standards have settled in. Hosted web font services can now “rent” you a limited-term license to font software rather than selling you a perpetual license, something that was never possible before. This makes life better for type foundries as well as web developers. Typeface designers can make more money in the long run, and web designers get to try out new fonts with a small investment (or a free trial in some cases). Also, updates to a the design or technology of a font can be quickly updated by the foundry and implemented on a website.
Is the business of typeface design expanding or contracting? The industry is certainly growing. I cite the documentary Helvetica (2007) as a milestone in the visibility of typeface design. Whether the film was causative, symptomatic, or merely coincidental, the late ’00s saw a surge in general interest and awareness. Suddenly my work seemed far less esoteric. More schools offer typeface design classes than ever before. We’re training a small army of hopefuls at Type@Cooper, the new postgraduate program I helped start. I have excellent students, and it’s exciting to share my experience and enthusiasm with people who are eager to learn. So there are many more typeface designers (professional and aspiring) than there were when I started out. At the same time, increased awareness has motivated more art directors to commission custom type and lettering, so the demand seems to be keeping up with the supply.
Have you ever dressed up as a letter for Halloween? Be honest! How did you guess? Last year I wore a mask in the shape of the ‘g’ from one of my typefaces. And there may have been a suggestive semicolon costume back in college, but you’ll never get your hands on those photos!
Jesse in his "g" mask.
