Letterform Archive
The Verdict
"Tipografia Dogpatch in the design collection, with more than 100,000 items in the collection. When you book a guided tour, the team shows typefaces, punk magazines, or calligraphy handbooks on their table."
What you need to know
What’s There
Letterform Archive is a research library and museum in Dogpatch focused on typography, letterform design, and graphic design. As of 2020 the collection held over 100,000 items: books, periodicals, posters, sketches, original art, and ephemera.
Staff pull items from the collection based on your interests and set them on a table for you to examine. Want to see how letterpress type was set in the 1800s? They’ll bring out original wood type. Interested in 1970s punk zines? They have those too. Hand-painted shop signs, vintage movie posters, calligraphy manuals, rare books, all available for close inspection.
The archive hosts workshops, lectures, and exhibitions. Topics run from bookbinding to font design to the history of protest posters. It also runs a museum gallery on site.
Visiting
Hours: By appointment and during scheduled events. Check the website for current open hours and exhibitions.
Cost: Free for most visits. Some workshops have fees.
Best time to go: During a scheduled exhibition opening or workshop.
What to know: Book ahead for hands-on visits. The location is on the fourth floor of an industrial building on Third Street.
Getting There
Transit: Muni T-Third Street to 23rd Street stop, 2-minute walk.
Parking: Street parking on Third Street and surrounding blocks. Usually available.
Walking: In the Dogpatch neighborhood, near the Museum of Craft and Design and the Dogpatch restaurant scene.
