Tuesday, March 10, 7 pm
Process Type Foundry, Minneapolis
Eric Olson and Nicole Dotin
1. What music were you into before you became PROCESS TYPE FOUNDRY?
Eric Olson: Coalesce, MC5, Converge, Fabric, The Faces and John Adams.
Nicole Dotin: I think I’m still listening to it.
2. Who were your heroes before you became PROCESS TYPE FOUNDRY?
Eric: I don’t have any heroes.
Nicole: I am inspired by the exceptional actions of others, but I don’t have any heroines.
3. What were your obsessions before becoming PROCESS TYPE FOUNDRY?
Eric: Fear I suppose. Mostly of speaking in public and driving through intersections.
Nicole: If I was obsessed with anything, it would have been perfection … and I still haven’t learned any better.
4. What were your dreams before you became PROCESS TYPE FOUNDRY?
Eric: To become a type designer.
Nicole: To find what fit.
5. What were you reading before you became PROCESS TYPE FOUNDRY?
Eric: Robin Kinross and Jonathan Franzen come to mind.
Nicole: A lot of American history at the time of the Revolution.
6. What did you use to collect before you became PROCESS TYPE FOUNDRY?
Eric: I don’t collect.
Nicole: I’ve never had a collector’s mentality for objects, but I’ve always collected skills because I’ve always loved to learn.
7. What were you before PROCESS TYPE FOUNDRY?
Eric: A teacher, freelance graphic designer, office temp and construction laborer.
Nicole: A typography teacher, graphic designer, web designer and seamstress/tailor.
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Process Type Foundry has quickly become one of the most sought-after type foundries in the United States. Founded in 2002 by Eric Olson, the company is known for its unique contemporary typefaces, extensive extended character sets, and custom commissioned work. Its early font releases included the rounded sans serif Bryant, the quirky modular FIG Script, and Locator & Locator Display, a type family designed to represent the Twin Cities. Klavika, released in 2004, has become the foundry’s most popular typeface to date, appearing in everything from the Facebook logo to NBC’s on-air graphics and magazines such as Blender and Architecture MN. Process Type Foundry has worked with clients such as the New York Times Magazine, Thomson-Reuters, and Chevrolet to strengthen their identities with custom type work, and in 2005 Olson engineered the Walker Art Center’s new graphic identity. The studio’s work has been featured in the book Metro Letters and in numerous magazines, including Eye, Nylon, PRINT, étapes, HOW, STEP, Metropolis, Task Newsletter, and CAP&Design. Prior to forming Process, Olson taught at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) and was a design fellow at the University of Minnesota Design Institute and a graphic designer at the Walker. A principal in the company, Nicole Dotin received her MA in Typeface Design from the University of Reading, England, and previously taught at MCAD. In 2006 she joined Olson as the foundry’s second designer.
The Walker Art Center and AIGA Minnesota present Insights, which brings graphic designers from around the country and the world to the Twin Cities.
Series tickets: $70 ($48 AIGA/Walker members)
Individual event tickets: $20 ($15; $10 students)
Lectures:
March 10 Process Type Foundry, Minneapolis
March 17 David Reinfurt, New York
March 24 Experimental Jetset, Amsterdam
March 31 Ellen Lupton, Baltimore
Tickets: 612.375.7600 walkerart.org/tickets
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