Letterform Archive

Letterform Archive is a nonprofit center for inspiration, education, and community. We offer hands-on access to a curated collection of more than 100,000 items related to lettering, typography, calligraphy, and graphic design, spanning 2,000 years of history.

So far, we have welcomed more than 5,000 visitors from 30 countries to the Archive, including students, practitioners, and letterform admirers from every creative background. Some come with specific research ideas in mind, while others are simply looking for inspiration. Invariably, thanks to the breadth and accessibility of the collection, they stumble on something unexpected. Serendipity is key to the Archive experience.

In addition to hosting visits and public events, the Archive serves a global community through social media, an online archive featuring state-of-the-art photography, and a book program that draws from the collection as well as publishes new work from its contributors. We offer courses and workshops in type design, calligraphy, and typography. We also curate exhibitions of our holdings and organize lectures by visiting artists and designers.

As a close-knit team of typophiles, lettering lovers, graphic design fans, and book arts enthusiasts, everyone at the Archive — regardless of role — helps in some way to promote the collection, offering tours, assisting at events, and engaging with the design community at large.