The Making of House Industries Lettering Manual with Ken Barber

This talk took place on September 14, 2020 as part of Type@Cooper's Lubalin Lecture Series. The recording and archiving of the series is made possible by generous support from Hoefler & Co.

Renowned letterer and author Ken Barber shares a behind-the-scenes look at the new House Industries Lettering Manual. For over 25 years, the acclaimed design agency and font foundry has built a reputation on providing a distinctive voice to companies and brands around the world through expressive logos and wordmarks. In his revealing new handbook, the studio’s Chief Lettering Officer unveils the underlying tactics and techniques that form the core of House’s eclectic creative process.
During this visually-engaging and entertaining presentation, Ken will highlight case studies from the Lettering Manual, including work for luxury brand Hermès, director JJ Abrams, and broadway musical The Cher Show. The author will also share never-before-seen photo outtakes and sketches, and explain how on earth late-night TV host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel came to write the foreword.

Ken Barber is a letterer, type designer and type director at design studio and type foundry House Industries. He is also a partner of Photo-Lettering, Inc., the online lettering-vending service nominated by the Design Museum London as a 2011 Design of the Year recipient. Ken's work is in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum and has been honored by the New York Type Directors Club. Association Typographique Internationale recently selected several of his typefaces for inclusion in the organization’s decennial design competition. In addition to teaching at Maryland Institute College of Art, Ken regularly lectures internationally on the subjects of lettering and typography. He also manages typeandlettering.com, an online resource for students and attendees of his frequent workshops.