Type Electives Lecture Series:

An overlap of letter studies with Kel Troughton

In this session, Kel will talk about the many outlets for his study of letters and how they inform each other in practice. As a type designer, teacher, photographer, collector, lettering artist, and graffiti writer, all of his work is connected. The newest project is called Overlap Type, a type foundry based on a theme of overlapping shapes. Overlap’s origins come from his work and theories as a graffiti writer, where overlapping letters are the norm. Aside from his own type work, Kel has been working with friends, students, and colleagues on releasing more Overlapping projects. The goal is to offer something different for designers and the type industry.

Each talk will be about 30–45 mins long followed by a short Q&A.

The event will be hosted online via Zoom.

We look forward to having you with us!

Kel Troughton

Kel Troughton (he/him) is a type designer, lettering artist, graffiti writer, and educator, living in Oakland CA. He works with Letterform Archive to collect graffiti magazines, drawings, and books. Kel is a co-curator of the exhibition “Subscription to Mischief” at Letterform Archive, showcasing the 1990s graffiti community and the independent publishing that documented it. He started writing graffiti in 2000 and has continued to add letter-based interests ever since. He studied Type design at Type@Cooper West, worked at Monotype, and currently works on freelance type and lettering projects. His company Overlap Type focuses on type design that utilizes ideas from his graffiti experience. In short, Kel is a letter person.

Instagram: @keltroughton, @overlaptype