The Centre will aim to promote community projects, conferences, exhibitions and academic research into the historical and contemporary framework of Typographic and Authorial Design. We will draw on the considerable existing research base and experience of the principal and associated researchers in promoting national and international collaboration and to build on existing contacts and project initiatives.
The Centre will establish a valuable and unique physical resource for the study and production of printed material and typographic design, including an extensive collection of letterpress material. The imprint will allow practical and academic study of material up to MA and doctorate level. In addition we will collate and promote access to material from a range of diverse sources, including the Artists book collection held at Pittville, and will establish and catalogue an archive of films, photographs and ephemera held by the researchers.
The Centre will promote international understanding of cultural influences that inform the communication of ideas through the printed word, and seek to examine the changing nature of technologies as they develop. With an expertise rooted in the traditions of type design and authorial publication, we will undertake innovative projects with leading designers to explore new methods of production and their relevance to the design process.