Call Yourself a Graphic Designer? You Have W.A. Dwiggins to Thank
You might not know the name William Addison (W.A.) Dwiggins, but he's one of the 20th century's most important designers. Bruce Kennett's beautifully-rendered biography of the designer is now being reprinted in collaboration with Letterform Archive.
W. A. Dwiggins (1880-1956) left an indelible mark on 20th-century visual communication as a pioneer of advertising, magazine, and book design. He was also a master calligrapher, type designer, and illustrator. Dwiggins, a maker and tinkerer at heart, experimented with form, process, and media. He was also a writer and design critic who was the first to use the term “graphic design,” uniting various applied arts under one professional umbrella.
Letterform Archive is offering a reprinting of W.A. Dwiggins: A Life in Design by Bruce Kennett with a Kickstarter campaign and a special $60 pricetag until September 10.
This is a book to spend a year with.
—Steven Heller
Letterform Archive kickstarted the first printing of Bruce Kennett’s comprehensive biography of Dwiggins. It was funded in two days and quickly sold out. This beautiful book is not just a biography; the pages are typeset in a custom digital version of Dwiggins’ Electra typeface, with 1200-plus images and Dwiggins’ essays set in his typefaces.
“The name W. A. Dwiggins usually brings to mind typefaces for Linotype and books for Knopf, but his amazing career has myriad additional facets. Over a period of fifteen years, I researched, wrote, photographed, and designed this book to honor his creative forces, exploring material from the Boston Public Library, Letterform Archive, my own private collection, and other archival sources,” says Kennett, the book’s author. “The book serves as inspiration for anyone in the visual arts — whether it be graphic design, illustration, textile design, printmaking, calligraphy, type design, or puppetry.”
The book will remain available on Kickstarter and at museum shops after this date. However, the early campaign premiums are worth a look.
Running through his life is a joie de vivre and lightness of spirit than can serve as inspiration for all of us.
—Bruce Kennett, author
Learn more about W.A. Dwiggins: A Life in Design and become a backer on the book’s Kickstarter page.
What's Your Reaction?
