Types of Typesetting: A Symposium

A three-hour symposium convened by Fraser Muggeridge and hosted by the Architectural Association School of Architecture. This symposium will explore types of text arrangement, from the micro to the macro, from the letter to the paragraph and beyond. The event will bring to light differing approaches to alignment and experimentation in typesetting that remain largely untheorised, unexplored and undocumented. These methods are often passed between designers and typesetters as tacit knowledge, with little critical discussion or formal articulation. Fraser will present his research into the historical, cultural and technological conditions of justified and unjustified composition, examining alternative models for setting text that have been developed over the last century and that challenge dominant conventions. Additional contributors, with speakers to be announced, will present historical research, typographic theories and practical applications that expand our understanding of what typesetting is and what it can be in the current climate. The symposium will conclude with a round-table discussion foregrounding contrasting positions on justification, alignment and typographic ethics. Intended for designers, researchers and students concerned with the critical, material and cultural dimensions of typography, all presentations and discussions will be recorded and made available online for researchers and practitioners to expand upon. Types of Typesetting is the second in a series of short symposia taking place in different countries over the coming year. The series explores the practice of typesetting in depth: how it is currently performed, how it might be performed differently, and the creative possibilities that emerge through this complex typographic process. It aims to bring together practitioners from different parts of the world to present, share and discuss their approaches to typesetting. The series considers typesetting as a creative and cultural practice shaped by history, typography, language, technology, context and individual approaches to making. Biography Fraser Muggeridge is a graphic designer whose practice focuses on working with artists and cultural institutions on a range of printed matter. His work is rooted in typography and informed by an interest in design theory, contemporary practices, and the historical conditions of graphic design, particularly in relation to art and artists’ publications. Muggeridge founded Typography Summer School, a week-long programme of typographic study for recent graduates and professionals, held in London and New York, and is the initiator of ‘Typography Theory Practice’, a yearly conference at Leeds Beckett University exploring how typographic theories and propositions can manifest in practice, can be used to explain practice, and become practice. He is Professor of Design at Leeds Beckett University and Visiting Professor at Iceland University of the Arts in Reykjavík. Accessibility Ramp access to the AA Lecture Hall is available on request using the intercom at the entrance to 36 Bedford Square, and we have an accessible toilet on site. Please get in touch to let us know of any access requirements that you might have and how we can best accommodate these. If you are unable to attend physically but would like to participate in the event remotely please email [email protected].