‘I am a writer who wanted to be a painter’: Tobias Frere-Jones on the creative mash-up that led him to typeface design

Tobias Frere-Jones has designed typefaces for clients like Martha Stewart Living, the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Carnegie Hall, Stacey Abrams, Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral office, the American Civil Liberties Union, New York City Football Club, and many more. Years ago, a friend of his asked him what he thought what letters are made of. Frere-Jones’s answer came quickly and in a single word: negotiation. As a culture, we agree that let...