Typeface, a documentary about how traditional technique sparks contemporary design in Wisconsin’s Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum, is available for purchase in the Felt & Wire Shop, where a percentage of the proceeds directly support ongoing outreach efforts for the film. It is also available for download or rent on iTunes, and will soon be available on Netflix.

Directed by Justine Nagan and produced by Kartemquin Films, Typeface observes the quiet daily existence of the Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum in rural Two Rivers, Wisconsin. Occupying a portion of the original Hamilton Company type factory building, the museum houses over 1.5 million wood letterforms, which are organized and available for the layperson or artist to consider, hold, and even use, if they attend a letterpress workshop.

Designers and film critics alike have praised Typeface for its poignancy and deep appreciation for typography’s history. Ray Pride, New City Film, said, “Nagan’s Typeface has a tactile character that’s unexpected. It’s awe-inspiring enough to see racks and racks and racks of beautiful, aged, oiled, dated wood type, but Nagan observes; the museum’s director flicks on circuit breakers as the day begins: thwock-thwock-thwock. It’s a fine example of how the past isn’t past. Best, it doesn’t feel nostalgic, but appreciative of history, its weight and its wonder.”

Joseph DiGioia, Professor of Graphic Design, Savannah College of Art and Design, says, “This film is important for young designers as well as typophiles of all ages. It teaches all of us the inherent beauty of typographic form, the unmatched quality of letterpress printing, the historical relevance of wood typography and the importance of the tactile in developing one’s design process.”

The Typeface DVD and letterpress posters are available on the Felt & Wire Shop.

Learn more about non-profit Kartemquin Films and experience their other documentaries.