Webfonts Week: An Interview with David Berlow of The Font Bureau

ATypI ambitiously billed this year’s Typ09 conference as the discussion epicenter for the future of fonts on the Web. As I sat in the Anáhuac University theater among the small, but influential crowd of type designers, browser developers (Microsoft and Mozilla), and service providers, it became clear that the conference was living up to the promise. After representatives from all these perspectives gave formal presentations, there was plenty of free-form discussion that engaged panelists and outspoken members of the audience. The loudest — and often the most interesting — of these voices was unarguably David Berlow’s.

Taking the pulse of the font development community would not be complete without hearing from the man who has been active in type design and technology from the beginning of the digital era. David Berlow designed typefaces for Mergenthaler, Linotype, Stempel, and Haas typefoundries in the ’70s, pioneered digital type at Bitstream in the ’80s, and founded The Font Bureau with legendary art director Roger Black in 1989. The Font Bureau library is often the first place magazine and newspaper designers look for new typefaces.

Click here to watch the FontCast or simply push play below.

Berlow’s diverse perspective, experience, and strong opinions give him an insightful, provocative view of Web typography and I think that shows during our discussion in Mexico City. Enjoy, and please comment with your thoughts.

Header image: David Berlow in Mexico City, November 2009. Photo © Isaías Loaiza.

Tags: ATypI, David Berlow, Font Bureau, FontCast, interview, Typ09, web design, webfonts, Webfonts Week