Josiah Tersieff graduated from ArtCenter with a Bachelor’s in Graphic Design in 2022. Based in Ventura, CA, he maintains a skillset geared toward the building and support of brand identities, often through custom typography and font design. He has worked as a freelancer with a variety of companies, from a tech startup to creative agencies. We asked him to share his thoughts at the conclusion of his fellowship, served under the guidance of our Typographer-in-Residence Greg Lindy, ArtCenter typography instructor and graphic designer.

Researching what it takes to develop a successful type foundry in today’s landscape is a huge undertaking, and it was an honor to assist Greg with this project. When I took Font Design 1 with Greg in 2021, I immediately got a sense of his wealth of knowledge and experience. As I progressed through Font Design 2 and collaborated with Greg on several freelance projects, he has continued to be a great inspiration and mentor in my development as a type designer. He is patient, encouraging, insightful, and honest—never shying away from throwing in a dash of helpful realism as I consider the possibilities ahead for my own projects and career. When the fellowship opportunity arose, I jumped at the chance to work with Greg and learn from him again.

In our research, we dove deep into what defines a type foundry. We looked through history and considered how the model for contemporary digital foundries developed. The HMCT’s archive proved an invaluable asset in this process. We each brought different perspectives to the table. Greg has a clear understanding of best practices gained through years of experience in crafting and selling type. I contributed a new-to-this-world, fresh approach to the project. Our combined outlooks with our shared love for the craft allowed us to evaluate the business of contemporary type design critically and to explore ways that a new type foundry could intentionally improve upon this industry.

Since completing our research, Greg and I have been working closely to distill everything down to key takeaways and formulate a clear plan for the future. This summation of our research is taking the form of a print piece, which serves as a case study for the residency and an overview of the rich history that brought us here, the foundry’s inspirations, and the vision we seek to execute.
—Josiah Tersieff