Letterforms as Identity: A Brief History of Typography at The New York Times with Kelly Doe
Channel: The Cooper Union
Date: 2017-11-20

This talk took place in The Frederick P. Rose Auditorium at The Cooper Union on April 11, 2017 as part of the Herb Lubalin Lecture Series. This recording was made possible by a generous grant by Hoefler & Company. For more information about Type@Cooper, visit http://www.coopertype.org.

From hand-set beginnings in 1851 to current print and digital variations, typography has always been a defining characteristic of The New York Times identity. 

Throughout its history, The Times has been an innovative and early adopter—there has always been a need to deliver the news as effectively as the technology of the moment allows. Yet its identity also evolved via the work of editors, art directors, type designers, and artists. Their intersecting relationships had considerable impact on the design of the news, the magazines, and the marketing. This expansive look at New York Times typographic history will include such topics as: Black letter, logotypes and Q-heads; walking on the moon, the Pentagon Papers and 9/11; new typeface and digital development — and the creative impact of Lou Silverstein, Matthew Carter and many others.

Kelly Doe is the Design Director for Brand Identity at The New York Times, where she is currently focusing on video, new digital products and the creation of company-wide brand guidelines. Her work involves close collaboration with creative groups from across the company including editorial, product, corporate, extended brand and marketing. Some of her past projects include developing prototypes for the first Times Reader, the redesign of the International Herald Tribune and leading the 2014 rebrand of Times Video. 
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Kelly's national and international clients have included the museums of the Smithsonian Institution, the National Archives, news organizations and magazines in Asia, Europe and Latin America, and a wide range of publishers, artists and non-profits. She recently completed a 75th Year anniversary book for the National Gallery of Art and is consulting with the Freer and Sackler Museums of the Smithsonian on video installations. Happily, one of her current projects is a book and film on the visual history of The New York Times. Kelly’s design, art direction and creative collaborations have been recognized by awards in the worlds of advertising, editorial and fine art.