While the typographer's art is rooted in the growing body of existing forms, the broader social role of printed letters is to preserve the evidence of civilization in a permanent and tangible form. While some of the most ambitious approaches to graphic design in the twentieth century have sought to reject old traditions in pursuit of originality, typographic forms are always subject to appropriation and reuse--a new typeface quickly enters the public realm, where its meaning is open to change. [back] © Copyright 1996 Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum

Dead History, typeface, 1990 Designer: P. Scott Makela (b. 1960) Courtesy Emigre Fonts, Sacramento