TYPO Talks: How is rhythm reflected in your work?

Dan Rhatigan: Working on typefaces is a real stop-and-go process, as I rarely know at the start everything that will need to be a part of the final result. My way of working requires time to set a design aside to reflect and forget it a little bit, punctuated by bursts of intense activity so I can hold all the variable in my head at once.

TT: How do you get into your creative rhythm?

DR: With great difficulty. The reflective part is easy: that often happens as I drift off to sleep, or when I’ve been distracted enough by other tasks that I can back away from what I’ve been drawing. Getting into the focused, productive state of mind for working on type, though, requires a chunk of time without interruptions. I’ll often start with repetitive, low-level things like checking the positions of accent marks as a warm-up to ease me into the more productive state of mind.

Dan Rhatigan

Dan Rhatigan works with Adobe Typekit in New York as the Senior Manager of Adobe Type. He has over 25 years of eclectic experience in various industries as a typesetter, graphic designer, typeface designer, and teacher, including several years in London and New York serving as Type Director for Monotype. He has a BFA in graphic design from Boston University, and MA in typeface design from the University of Reading in the UK, and a very tattered passport.

Speaker page

TT: What speakers are you most looking forward to meeting or hearing talk at TYPO SF?

DR: I’m really looking forward to Emmet Byrne, since I was really impressed with the Walker Art Center when I finally got to visit during the AIGA conference this past Fall: they’re up to some great stuff. I’m also a big fan of Rene Knip’s typographic work, so his talk ought to be a real treat.

TT: If you haven’t visited SF before, what are you most looking forward to experiencing? If you are familiar with San Francisco, do you have a favorite hangout?

DR: Kayo Books on Post Street has an unbelievable selection of vintage pulp paperbacks, and I need to stock up!

TT: What’s your favorite typeface and why?

DR: I definitely don’t have ONE favorite, but I usually have a shortlist of them that slowly changes. I’m thinking a lot about eccentric san serifs from the 19th century lately (such as the various sources for families like Monotype Grotesque), since I’m interested in alternatives to smoothly graded type superfamilies.

Register today to see Dan Rhatigan and all of our inspirational speakers at TYPO San Francisco 2014.