After their son was born in 2013, Ned and Brenda began to conceive of a meaningful purpose for the collection of type, woodblocks, and line-engraved images that they have been amassing for 20+ years. They decided to create a learning tool, a unique letterpress book of ABCs that took five years to make. The project combines many facets of their lives: family, teaching, letterpress printing, design, and collecting.

The project was born out of their shared passion for design, a focus on typography, an engagement with design history, and an infatuation with letterpress artifacts. Ned and Brenda strongly believe in the preservation of a living history of letterpress, as there is no greater tool for teaching future generations of typographers about the craft and the value of hands-on work.

They also believe that it is essential to intentionally make space for those projects that are labors of love, projects that integrate play and discovery into the creative process, on personal terms. The freedom of those experiments is essential for creative growth.

Registration for this special event is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets to the TDC Virtual Salons are free to members only. Non-members are asked for a suggested donation of ten dollars to help fund our free recordings of events and to grow typographic awareness. Donations of $1, $5, $10, or more are welcomed.

Click on the registration link to sign up for this live Zoom webinar via Eventbrite. We suggest downloading the Zoom software prior to the start of this event. We will send you event reminders, but we advise everyone to connect a few minutes prior to the start. The event waiting room will be open 10 minutes ahead of time.

The start time for the live event is:
10:00am LA/SF/Seattle (PST)
1:00pm New York (EST)
6:00pm London (BST)
7:00pm Berlin/Madrid/Milan/Europe (CEST)
9:00pm Jerusalem (GST)
1:00am Seoul/Manila
2:00am Tokyo
5:00am Auckland

About the Speakers

Ned Drew is a senior faculty member within the Graphic Design Program at Rutgers University-Newark where he teaches design and design history courses. Drew was a member of the AIGA’s DEC Steering Committee and is the Founding Director of The Design Consortium, a student/teacher design studio.

Drew was the co-editor of Design Education in Progress: Volumes 1, 2 and 3 and co-author of BY ITS COVER, Purity of Aim: The Book Jacket Designs of Alvin Lustig and George Giusti: The Idea is the Heart of the Matter.

Drew’s work has been included in Typographic Design: Form and Communication, Graphic Design Referenced, US Design 1975-2000, Working with Computer Type, the AIGA’s Rethinking Design 3: Speaking Volumes, Graphic Design Solutions and Color Management. Drew’s work has also been recognized by the AIGA, the TDC, the IDA, the Art Directors Club, Creativity, the FPO Awards, the UCDA and the AAM as well as Graphis, Communication Arts, Print and How magazines.

Brenda McManus is an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design in the Art Department at Pace University–NYC. Brenda’s research encompasses typography, integrating antiquated and contemporary technology and methods of making and collaborative design processes.

Brenda received her MS and MFA from Pratt Institute’s Graduate Communication Design Program and has experience in design research, design management, art direction, design writing and a passion for typography.

McManus is the co-author of George Giusti: The Idea is the Heart of the Matter. Her work has been included in Graphic Design Solutions, 4th Ed, Typographic Design: Form and Communication, 6th edition, Color Management for Logos and Color Management: A Comprehensive Guide for Graphic Designers. McManus’s work has also been recognized by the AIGA, the TDC, the Art Directors Club, the FPO Awards, Creativity, the UCDA, IDA as well as Graphis, Communication Arts, Print and How magazines.