Adobe has been mixing typographic tradition and cutting-edge technology for nearly 30 years, winning awards and setting expectations for the way people work with type. David Lemon has been helping make it happen since early days, and will look back on his experience to offer examples and anecdotes that give an overview of the Adobe Type program’s four interrelated aspects.
The Adobe Type program has a unique position in the world of type companies, and it has always reflected the character of the people involved. David will talk about the role of type at Adobe, and the people who have contributed over the years – how this role and these personalities affected the program’s direction, as well as some of the nearly 100 new typeface families Adobe has designed over the years.
The rich traditions of type and lettering have been a dominant influence for the Adobe Type program. David will explore different traditions – classic type designs, pre-typographic writing, calligraphy, informal writing, commercial lettering, and non-Western systems – and show a few examples of the ways Adobe’s typeface designs have responded to each of these.
Adobe has been a key player in transforming what people expect from fonts, and how they’re used. David will give a brief overview of how Adobe has changed font technology over the last 30 years. He’ll discuss the interaction between type design and the world of technology, and how the Adobe Type Library has changed as a result.
Finally, David will offer some speculations about trends and new opportunities that seem likely to spark still more changes in the way people use type.
Keywords: Adobe, font technology, type design, history, future.
