Lecture

Type & Identity

Bio

Dave Farey was extremely lucky to have been born left handed in London, a little before the explosion of type design, facilitated by the technologies of transfer lettering and photosetting. Sent to the London School of Printing (later the London College of Printing and now the London college of Communication) to learn photo lithography techniques, by an employer with more faith than judgement, part of the course involved ‘Lettering’ which was far more interesting than spinning egg albumin and mixing chemicals. Taking advantage of drawing lettering and being paid for it, by a progression of false starts and experience he was eventually capable of designing type faces for most of the existing 20th century print processes, that is metal type, transfer type and photosetting but unfortunately not for woodtype, which would have been a bonus as his father was a carpenter.

Currently working with Richard Dawson at HouseStyle Graphics, they have created bespoke fonts for all forms of media and business and leisure enterprises, plus commercial fonts based on historic forms and influences, and of course, 21st century styles.