"Typographically Speaking: The Art of Matthew Carte,"

by Andrew Parks

Art

Font fetishists are an odd lot. Look at graphics professors, the hopelessly devoted typographers who spend decades pondering whether the meaning of life lies in sans serif or serif type. Maybe it's the curvature of the letter "o" in 12-point Lucinda Grande, triggering a Freudian flashback of being breastfed. Or maybe if you stare long enough at 14-point Copperplate Gothic Bold, you will see the face of Jesus. Whatever the cause of the obsession, designers and readers alike can appreciate Matthew Carter's importance to 20th-century type design. Spend a lazy Sunday afternoon with a glossy and it's likely that much of the design was drawn from Carter's line of breakthrough typefaces, everything from the celebrated ITC Galliard to the obscure National Geographic Caption. And then there's the sexy 21st-century toy Verdana, known and adored by many.

Carter's career is mirrored by the typographical revolution, extending from the introduction of hot metal type to the digital printing age. "Typographically Speaking: The Art of Matthew Carter" presents 28 exhibit panels of his typefaces, as well as the work of Carter contemporaries. Carter will speak before a reception on Sept. 18. Space is very limited and reservations are required, so unless you are the guy who wears the Ben Franklin getup on Third and Chestnut, you best hit the speed dial.

“Typographically Speaking: The Art of Matthew Carter,” exhibit through Sept. 19, reception and gallery talk, Thu., Sept. 18, 6-9 p.m., free, Charles Addams Gallery, University of Pennsylvania, 20 S. 36th St., 215-573-5134.

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