Typeface design education from Cooper Union

Introducing Jaroslav Benda
with Petra Dočekalová

Jaroslav Benda is one of the most important and most unique personalities in the history of Czechoslovak type design. His extensive lifelong work is based on a strong and distinctive manuscript of original typeface designs. Many of his works became key for the periods of Czech Cubism and Art Deco. Equally important is his engagement in building the visual identity of the first Czechoslovak Republic. Benda’s work was completely forgotten for many decades, and now, nearly half a century after his death, we finally introduce the public to the product of our five years of work. Our book presents in its entirety the vast scale of Benda’s distinctive typefaces and inventive solutions, which are again contemporary from today’s perspective.

Registration is now closed

When:
Mon, June 22, 2020, 2025

Where:
Online

The Herb Lubalin Lectures are recorded and made available here and on Vimeo with the generous support of Hoefler&Co.

About Petra Dočekalová

Bio PD 130x185
Petra Dočekalová is a typographer and letterer based in Prague, Czech Republic. Since 2013 she is a member of Briefcase Type Foundry team. She received TDC Award of excellence for her diploma project dealing with the Czechoslovak calligraphy and new hand lettering forms. Petra will finish her PhD studies at the Type Design and Typography studio at UMPRUM Academy in Prague this year with her thesis focusing on school cursive and handwritten typefaces, their applications and overlap from the academic to the practice and educational environment. She is also focused on editorial work such as book Typo9010, that won several awards all over the world including TDC Award of excellence and her recent project is the book about Jaroslav Benda 1882–1970, Typographic designs and letterforms.