The article I chose for this week’s reflection assignment was from the AIGA FutureHistory Conference in 2004. The paper is titled Stewards of the Typographic Landscape: A Model for Education by Jan Conradi, Associate Professor at the State University of New York at Fredonia. The article was a definite departure from the usual journal selections. The critical and manifesto-esque style of the article was well suited to a conference and would have lent itself well to a visual and verbal presentation by the author.
The topic of the article, emphasizing the need for educational excellence in typography, spoke to me particularly because of my interest in page layout, typesetting, and the relationship between the written word and design. It also resonated because I’ve seen how typographic skills have taken an undeserving backseat in design education and professional practice.
Conradi accuses most undergraduate design programs of condoning mediocrity, or valuing trend and variety over a depth of understanding. Typography, in her opinion (and I agree), is the aspect of design education most in need of deeper understanding by educators and students as a part of the profession’s stewardship, especially as typography becomes democratized and the now-defunct role of typesetter is no longer saving designers and the public from sloppy typography. She acknowledges that instilling a passion for typography in students isn’t always easy. It’s a craft that requires historical and social awareness, subtlety, attention to detail and patience. These characteristics are exactly what has always appealed to me about typography.
Conradi develops a five-part interchangeable model for typographic education based on landscape architecture and community planning. Part I, Historic Preservation is, as one might suspect, about gaining the background knowledge to bring perspective to typographic design choices. Part II, Reclamation, focuses on the identification and illustration of typographic principles and standards. Part III, Reuse, moves on to the implementation, analysis and investigation of typographic standards and relationships. Part IV, Planning, looks at typography through a variety of disciplines and perspectives as well as innovation and cultural significance. Part V, The Future, is about instilling a drive for lifelong learning, professional participation in education and raising expectations for typographic excellence.
The author’s five sections seem sensible enough and probably follow many education models that work in similar paths, and she offers many ideas for classroom projects and activities. What really left an impression on me, however, was her impassioned plea for more rigor in the typography focus of design education. For designers whose goal is to effectively communicate (and what designer isn’t, to some extent?) the importance of sound typographic principles cannot be underestimated. It is our duty as professionals to hold our craft to a high standard, and for design educators to give students the knowledge and perspective needed to uphold the integrity of the profession.
Design Denizens 
Thanks for a lucid and compelling review of this article, Michelle. As someone who has worked in the preservation and re-use of architecture, I am always fascinated to see how adjacent design fields are addressing their physical and cultural preservation issues. Perhaps the trend of letterpress – despite its trendiness – will serve to underscore the craft of typesetting. It is valuable to be reading manifestos; they will help to stoke fire-in-the-belly for your MFA thesis.
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