Type Speaks: A Hand-lettering & Font Creation Workshop

Ever wonder how fonts are born? 

AIGA Wisconsin welcomes James T. Edmondson, San Fransisco-Bay Area type designer, lettering artists, and educator, to lead a hands-on typography and lettering workshop.

James will share his creative process through the examination of classic typefaces, hand-lettering, and contemporary, custom lettering and styles that you can apply in modern day design.

Choose from one of two workshop times:
Workshop Session 1: 9am to Noon
Workshop Session 2: 2pm to 5pm

Hosted by The University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee. This event is limited to 12 attendees per workshop to allow for personal, one-on-one instructor attention. Tickets will go quickly. Reserve yours today.

AIGA Members $35
Non Members $45

James will also be speaking on Thursday evening (1/26) at Hanson Dodge Creative. The cost of the workshop does include your ticket. Please register here.


What will I learn?

  • Basic principles of calligraphy
  • Lettering by hand
  • Spacing theory
  • Sketching techniques


What's included in the price of the workshop?

  • One-on-one instruction from James T. Edmondson
  • Personal Sketchbook (Courtesy of our sponsor French Paper)
  • Personal Calligraphy Pens (Courtesy of our sponsor Sakura)
  • Personal AIGA Pencil and Eraser
  • Marker and Tracing Paper
  • Your admission to "Fonts are Forever" speaking event on Thursday,  1/26




James Edmondson

James Edmondson is an independent type designer in San Francisco, getting his early career start with the Lost Type Co-op, a pay-what-you-can font foundry for personal use fonts, and working with clients such as Facebook, Society of Publication Designers and Mine™. Recent projects include OHNO T.C.They Went with Hobo and Robofont Extensions.

With the principles of a calligrapher and mindset of a letter artist (rather than a graphic designer), Edmondson told Snap magazine, “I’m not really someone who can come up with new ideas on my own, so the alphabet is the biggest inspiration for me—the convention of how letters are drawn.” Influenced by humanist-style faces considered by many to be the great-grandparents of today’s types, Edmondson’s original fonts include Wisdom Script—you may recognize it from barackobama.comDuke and Lavanderia. Of them, he says, “I take pride in my curves like a plus-size model.”

One of Print magazine’s 20 “New Visual Artists” in 2013, Edmondson graduated from California College of the Arts and the TypeMedia program at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, Netherlands. Quick to give credit where it’s due, recognize his heroes along the way, and down-play his talents, Edmondson connects type and lettering with other interests: songwriting, skateboarding—although he claims he’s terrible at it—and Jimmy Buffett. Edmondson’s a self-proclaimed Parrothead.



Thanks to our event sponsors: SakuraFrench PaperHanson Dodge CreativeOrchard Street Press, and The University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee.



Want to become a member of AIGA? Join today for as little as $50.



The Art Building of The University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee is located on The University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee's campus. Enter main building and take the elevator to the fourth floor to Room 431. Parking is available for cost in the Union Garage or metered spots on the streets.


When & Where
Fri, Jan 27, 2017 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM CST
The University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee (Art Building/Room 431)
2400 East Kenwood Boulevard
Milwaukee, WI 53211