Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography (HMCT) at ArtCenter College of Design was founded in 2015 in memory of Professor Leah Hoffmitz Milken, a renowned typographer, letterform designer, and esteemed faculty member at ArtCenter.
HMCT is dedicated to every aspect of the typographic field. Created to serve as a home and catalyst for the enhanced study of typography and letterform design, the Center serves as an educational forum, design laboratory, research center, and archive. As a meeting place for learning, discussion, and the exchange of ideas and skills, the HMCT presents workshops, special classes, symposia, lectures, exhibitions, and residency programs.
Located in the 950 building of the South Campus of ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, CA, HMCT offers an expansive studio for classes, workshops, lectures, and visiting typographers-in-residence.
Our Archive, located within the HMCT, serves as a repository for original and rare materials that document the history and teaching of typography, letterform, and graphic design. You can access the collections at any time by visiting archive.hmctartcenter.org.
The HMCT is situated next to Archetype Press, which it oversees and maintains. The Press, a “working museum” boasting over 2,500 cases of foundry metal and wood types, allows students to learn hands-on the art and skill of creating with letterpress type.
HMCT houses four exhibition venues: HMCT South Campus Gallery, plus our Storefront and Archival and Archetype Press Showcases.
HMCT Gallery displays notable work in typography, letterform design, and visual communication. Presenting up to three exhibitions per year, either monographic or curated group installations, the Gallery serves as an educational tool for students and professional design communities, as well as the general public. Exhibitions range from academic research projects—sometimes as part of the Center’s annual residency programs for artists and designers—to surveys of important historical designers and contemporary, language-based fine art. The exhibitions are supplemented by accessible educational programming including lectures, panel discussions, publications, and in-person and video tours.
Our Showcase spaces, located outside of the HMCT classroom, feature exhibitions of contemporary works on paper.
Professor Leah Hoffmitz Milken was a multi-award-winning graphic designer renowned for her letterform expertise. As a consultant to the top design firms in America, she contributed to, and helped evolve, some of the most recognizable logotypes and identities seen today.
Throughout her career, she specialized in the creation of unique logotypes and typefaces for multiple industries and media. Corporate brands benefiting from her expert typographic eye include FedEx, Nokia, United Airlines and Disney.
As an educator for three decades, Leah left her mark on students through her skilled tutelage in typography and visual problem solving, inspiring future generations of “thinking designers.” Since joining the faculty in 1992, Leah influenced a generation of graduates, many of whom have become internationally recognized experts in graphic design and typography. Notable former students include Mike Abbink, senior creative director at IBM Watson, and designer of the typefaces Kievit and Brando; and Josh Finklea, designer of the typeface Post Grotesque.
Leah’s profound dedication to teaching and her desire to give back to her students were recognized in 2008 when she was presented with an Honorary Alumna designation from ArtCenter. She was also active in the College’s Legacy Circle, an alumni-led volunteer group raising support for student scholarships. In 2013, Leah was awarded the ArtCenter College of Design Distinguished Achievement Award for her commitment to design, typography and education. She is an honors graduate of Ontario College of Art in Toronto, and pursued her graduate studies at the prestigious Kunstgewerbeschule in Basel, Switzerland. Awards and citations from organizations of note include: the American Institute of Graphic Arts [AIGA], Graphis, Type Directors Club, Association Typographique Internationale [ATypI] and The Library of Congress.
Founding Executive Director of HMCT Gloria Kondrup’s career spans both fields of art and design. As a design consultant to national and international firms, she has contributed to and helped evolve extensive branding, identity, and packaging systems. Corporate brands benefiting from her expertise include Aon, Avon, and Goodwill Industries. As the owner of a letterpress and fine stationery company, she developed over 100 retail and custom stationery and gift items sold online, through direct mail, and in national retail chains. As a full-time ArtCenter College of Design professor, Gloria has been a dedicated design educator for over two decades, teaching typography and visual problem-solving. As Faculty Associate Director of Archetype Press, ArtCenter’s unique and vibrant letterpress studio, she redefines the value of typography and analog technology in the digital landscape.
Her fine art printworks and press books are in private and public collections, including AIGA, The Getty, and the Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry. Because of her interest in social, cultural, and environmental issues, she received the AIGA Greening of Design award. Gloria received her bachelor’s degree in Fine Art and her master’s degree in Design.
Born in England, Simon Johnston was educated at Bath Academy of Art and at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Basel, Switzerland, where he studied with Armin Hofmann and Wolfgang Weingart. In London in the 1980s he co-founded the design studio 8vo and was instigator and co-editor of the typography journal Octavo. Relocating to California, his current design practice, Simon Johnston Design, focuses on publications for galleries and museums. Clients include the Whitney Museum, Gagosian Gallery, Getty Museum, Steidl Verlag, Blum and Poe Gallery and Yale University Press. He has lectured in the US, Asia and Europe, and his work has received many awards and been exhibited internationally. He is a professor in the Graphic Design Department at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, teaching typography and design. He divides his time between education, book design, and his own art/photography practice, including the recently formed Verb Editions publishing house.
Susan Malmstrom earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a Specialization in Printmaking at California State University, Long Beach; and was awarded a Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts from the University of California at Irvine. She has worked as an administrator and instructor for arts, cultural, and educational organizations for over 30 years, including California State University Long Beach, Arts Council for Long Beach (formerly Public Corporation for the Arts), Cerritos Community College, the Richmond Arts Council, the University of Richmond, John Tyler College, and Mocean Dance in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Susan works with other artists in the U.S. and Canada to create installations and collaboratively produced printed works. Since 2011, she has been installing her cabinet of curiosities, The Repository of Wonders, whenever and wherever possible, including Southern California pop-up versions at the Pacific Aquarium in Long Beach, and the West Hollywood Public Library.
Originally from Greece, Lavinia is a graphic designer whose area of specialization is spatial and print design. Her work is defined by strong research and conceptual development that often comments on social and cultural matters.
Lavinia’s background is in fine art, with a focus on sculpture and photography. She has lived in Athens, London, Paris, Pondicherry, and Barcelona, working as a designer and artist for museums and galleries. Some collaborations include the Cycladic Art Museum (Athens), a solo exhibition at the Illeana Tounta Contemporary Art Center (Athens), the Auroville Community (Pondicherry), and MAL/FOR GOOD (Los Angeles). Her travels have developed her interest in world cultures and ability to speak four languages: Greek, English, Spanish, and French.
Lavinia completed her MFA in graphic design at ArtCenter College of Design, and served as the 2018 HMCT Fellow, working with Lucienne Roberts, HMCT’s Typographer-in-Residence.
Joshue is a visual artist and designer of Salvadorian descent, born and raised in South East Los Angeles. He earned a BFA in Photography and Digital Imaging from Art Center College of Design and a Master of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Otis College of Art and Design. As an HMCT staff member, he works both in the South Campus Gallery and Archetype Press. In addition, he is an instructor for the Graphic Design department at ArtCenter.
The power of imagery has always been a fixation for Joshue; this innate focus has facilitated his creative growth. While his practice is image-based, it encompasses a range of processes in photography, printmaking, and design. The methodology for his work is labor-intensive, which allows him to slow down, leaving space for experimentation. Molina considers the most astonishing thing that happens when working analog to be accidents, embracing these accidents as a part of his imagery which relies on the essence of Wabi-sabi. For Joshue, analog is a way to reconnect, not only with his work but with the ordinary.
Ximena graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design at ArtCenter in 2022. She also has Illustration Certification from Bau, Centro Universitario de Diseño de Barcelona, a Certificate in Art History from Barcelona Academy of Art; she also studied at CENTRO.Diseño, Cine y Televisión, Mexico City. After serving as an intern at Pentagram in New York, she returned to ArtCenter to serve as HMCT’s Research & Typography Fellow. Her awards include 2023 Type Directors Club (TDC) Ascenders Award, 2022 HMCT Hispanic Women of Typography Award, 2021 TDC Beatrice Warde Scholarship, 2020 HMCT Student Award for Excellence in Typography, and 2020 TDC Winner, Communication Design for Plan B: Spirit of The Bauhaus exhibition.
The Lowell Milken Family Foundation focuses its efforts on groundbreaking and comprehensive initiatives that provide powerful opportunities for educators, students and people of all ages. The Lowell Milken Family Foundation is based on a core belief that human capital remains the world’s most important asset, and education remains the best means for cultivating human capital by providing young people with the skills, knowledge and experiences to prepare them for rewarding and productive lives. Working with ArtCenter College of Design to establish the Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography has resulted in an enriching partnership through which to honor Professor Leah Hoffmitz Milken’s memory, as well as her extraordinary knowledge of and deep commitment to typography. The Lowell Milken Family Foundation is proud to support this mission through the work of the Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography as it fosters excellence in an academic field that is central to design education, culture, and visual communication.
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