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Kris Sowersby graduated from the Wanganui School of Design in 2003. After brief employment as a graphic designer he started the Klim Type Foundry in 2005, currently based in Wellington, New Zealand. His first retail typeface, Feijoa, was released onto the international market in 2007. National, Sowersby’s second retail release, won a Certificate of Excellence from the Type Designers Club, New York in 2008. Since then he has worked on various custom and retail typefaces including FF Meta Serif, the seriffed sibling of the renowned FF Meta. Sowersby’s reputation for typeface design has lead to his working with, and for, contemporary typographic luminaries such as Christian Schwartz, Erik Spiekermann, Chester Jenkins, House Industries, DNA Design and Pentagram. Sowersby’s typefaces combine historical knowledge with contemporary craftmanship and finish. The Klim Type Foundry markets its typefaces exclusively through Village.

FOR MORE >> www.klim.co.nz

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L E C T U R E | 1015h | 14.02.09 |  view programme

I have trouble zooming out

As a typeface designer working in black & white, Kris Sowersby constantly focuses on the very minute details of letterforms. This means that Sowersby can sometimes miss the bigger, more colourful picture. For example, when he is commissioned to design a custom typeface for a client, Sowersby has no real idea of how they will use it. This is sometimes because they don’t show him the design direction, or the design direction hasn’t been decided, or he just lacks the imagination to see the potential! However, Sowersby is constantly surprised and delighted to see what excellent graphic designers do with his work. Sowersby will talk about this phenomenon by illustrating the design process and thinking behind a few of his custom commissions and contrasting that with the final brand guidelines and applications of the typefaces.  

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About the images 
Banking: This is Serrano, a custom typeface designed for the rebrand of BNZ, commissioned by DNA Auckland | Sensory Revolution: This is Methven Flow, a custom typeface designed for the rebrand of Methven, commissioned by Designworks | T. Hardy, 1850: This is Hardys, a custom typeface designed for the rebrand of Hardy's Wines, commissioned by Parallax

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