Workshop Statement

We shall look at the Roman type engraved by Francesco Griffo for Pietro Bembo’s De Aetna which was printed by Aldus Manutius in Venice in 1496. We shall try to understand the details and structure of that type and how it can be interpreted to make modern letterforms (Roman, sans serif and other styles). This will be done with with a 3B pencil – an ideal tool for understanding historical Roman type. The starting point for our work will be blown-up photos of the original De Aetna type.   istype.com

• James Clough studied at the London College of Printing. Based in Milan, he works with Italian and international publishers and agencies in the fields of typographic design and calligraphy. He teaches theory and history of typography at the Politecnico di Milano and writes for Italian and international publications on calligraphy, type design and the history of printing. He lectures in Switzerland, Great Britain and the USA. He is a member of the Printing Historical Society, AIAP (Association of Italian graphic designers) and is a member of the ACI (Italian Calligraphy Association).