Typeface design education from Cooper Union
House Cooper June 12 2017 1200x400

The Process is the Inspiration
with Andy Cruz, Rich Roat, and Ken Barber

In this entertaining talk, Andy Cruz, Rich Roat and Ken Barber will post-intellectualize their new book, House Industries: The Process is the Inspiration. With topics ranging from fonts and fashion to ceramics and space technology, and presented in their honest, authentic, and irreverent style, Andy, Rich and Ken will demonstrate how anyone can transform obsessive curiosity into personally satisfying and successful work. Books purchased at this event will include an exclusive bookplate.

Registration is now closed

When:
Mon, June 12, 2017, 2024

Where: Rose Auditorium
41 Cooper Square, Manhattan


About Andy Cruz

Andy Cruz headshot
Andy spent his early years learning the dark arts of hot rodding from his father and skating the mean streets of Elsmere, Delaware. After graduating from Delcastle Vocational and Technical High School with “shop” certification in Commercial Art, he opted to skip art school and get right to work. As the art director and creative nerve center of House Industries, Andy uses his calm, quiet demeanor to cajole frustrated House artists, designers and collaborators into forgeting the rules for a just moment to figure out the best way to create something worthwhile. His work is in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, and the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. Andy recently completed the book House Industries: The Process is the Inspiration with co-authors/long time conspirators Rich Roat and Ken Barber. If he’s not collecting furniture, Japanese folk art or other junk that will somehow turn into a House Industries design project, he’s spending time with his ladies: wife Stephanie and daughters, Ava and Mia.

About Rich Roat

Rich roat headshot
After picking up a degree in communication from the University of Delaware, Rich held jobs as a communications associate for United Way of Delaware and manager of a service bureau/prepress house. He met Andy Cruz in 1991 and allowed his new friend to talk him into a series of ill-advised but fortunate career moves that led to the formation of Brand Design Co., Inc., and, subsequently House Industries. Rich initially tried to tame the chaos of Andy’s constantly shifting aesthetic sensibilities and obsessive attention to detail; thankfully, he has been largely unsuccessful. He learned to embrace the anarchy and try skim a few bucks off the top of whatever House Industries got into to keep the business on an even keel. In the time that’s left over, he writes arcane product copy, deciphers force-majeure-in-any-and-all-media-now-and-to-be-invented clauses, and attempts to keep his itchy middle finger in check. Rich is a co-author of House Industries: The Process is the Inspiration (Watson Guptill/Penguin Random House, 2017) with Andy Cruz and Ken Barber.

About Ken Barber

Ken Barber
Ken Barber is a letterer, type designer, author, and instructor. He blames Don Martin comics, Santa Cruz skateboard graphics, and speed metal logos for his obsession with letterforms. For over 25 years, Ken has produced distinctive logos for global brands and created award-winning fonts. His work is part of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. Ken is the type director and studio letterer at House Industries. Author of three books, his award-winning Lettering Manual was released in 2020.