#btconf Berlin, Germany 02 - 04 Nov 2015

Tobias Frere-Jones

Over 25 years, Tobias Frere-Jones has created some of the world’s most widely used typefaces, including Interstate, Whitney, Gotham, Surveyor, Tungsten and Retina. His work is in the permanent collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He has taught at the Yale University School of Art since 1996, and in 2013 he received the AIGA Medal for his achievements in design. He launched his new type design practice, Frere-Jones Type, in January 2015.

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In Letters We Trust

This talk will present ongoing research into the use of letterforms as a means of security for citizens and governments alike, thwarting forgery in plain sight and in secret. Some strategies have relied on high-profile collaborations, and others on home-grown cunning. Interwoven is a story of war and peace, technology, culture and economics. The narrative will focus on American banknotes from the Colonial period to the present day, with additional examples of government permits and lottery tickets.