Frank E. Blokland: Development of tools present-day type design based historic patterns
Channel: Libre Graphics Meeting
Date: 2014-08-11

(Development of tools for) present-day type design based historic patterns 
Frank E. Blokland
http://lettermodel.org

"Since 2007 I'm doing PhD research into the harmonics, patterns and dynamics in type (see also http://www.lettermodel.org). The theoretical models and measurements can be combined with descriptions of the underlying patterns and structures I distilled from the renaissance archetypes. This can be used for designing type using adjustable patterns based on the ones from the archetypes, and the usage of these patterns for the parametrization of type design. Consequently the relation between the craftsmanship-like application of patterns and what is considered a creative process can be analyzed."

Frank E. Blokland (Leiden, 1959) is type designer, founder of the Dutch Type Library, Senior Lecturer in type design at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague (since 1987), and Professor and Research Fellow at the Plantin Institute of Typography, Antwerp (since 1995).