Stephen Coles is Editorial Director & Associate Curator at Letterform Archive in San Francisco. He also co-publishes Fonts In Use and Typographica.
Previously, Stephen wrote the book The Anatomy of Type and was a creative director at FontShop.
He shares his life with his wife,
Laura Serra.
Longer bios →
OTHER BOOKS
2013 The Field Guide to Typography introduction
2015 The Evolution of Type foreword
2022 Strikethrough: Typographic Messages of Protest contributions
2023 Only on Saturday: The Wood Type Prints of Jack Stauffacher essay
2025 Emigre Fonts: Type Specimens 1986–2024 preface
OTHER PROJECTS
Typographica Library learn about letters
Font ID identify letters
Strikethrough exhibition letters for protest
Chromeography letters on cars
Fleurs Coiffeur Liquor letters on buildings
The Mid-Century Modernist not letters
Stüf Stuff ephemeral residue
TALKS
A Typeface is a Chair on selecting and using type
State of the Mart on making and selling type
What’s the Use of “Fonts In Use”?
Pre-digital Type Specimens at Letterform Archive
Breaking the Swiss Grid at Letterform Archive
Bauhaus Typefaces at Letterform Archive
Letterforms of the Viennese Secession at Letterform Archive
Neon/Font with SF Neon
Neon/Matchbook with SF Neon
Strikethrough: Typographic Messages of Protest at Ephemera Society
Webfonts Today on the state of screen type in 2014
Chromeography
ARTICLES
Behind the Scenes with Licko & VanderLans 2025
Inside Emigre Fonts 2025
The Darden Type Design Archive 2024
Schriftenkartei, a Typeface Index 2023
Milwaukee Transit Passes of the 1930s–60s 2022
Right On Is a Powerful Little Paperback… 2022
Jack Stauffacher’s Studio 2019
Lautsprecher Gets Its Voice Back 2019
Herbert Matter Letters & Logos 2018
Linotype Master Drawings 2017
Review: Size-specific Adjustments to Type Designs 2014
Brief Typeface Reviews for Identifont 2014–2019
INTERVIEWS
San Francisco Chronicle 2019 Listgeeks 2011 Typekit 2015 GQ 2021 Corita Kent: The Pop Art Nun 2021
PAST CLIENTS
101 Editions Font Bureau Identifont MVB Fonts Persona Production Type Schick Toikka Type Network Webtype
ELSEWHERE
Mastodon typography
Mastodon not typography
Answers to type questions
Pictures
Bits of work
Contact Stephen