Typography in Troubled Times

Rathna Ramanathan

14 March 2017, doors at 6.30pm for a 7pm start.

Tickets: £5

With forecasts of algorithmic futures, daily dismissal of expertise, and genuine concern about the fast disappearing nature of craft, this talk revisits the spirit, purpose and calling of the typographic profession. It considers what our role and contribution to society can be in a world of ‘alternative facts’, rising divisions and neoliberal work cultures. Using three different examples of intercultural projects — BBC Voice of the People, Murty Classical Library and Tara Books’ In the Land of Punctuation — it demonstrates the importance of historical research in contemporary design practice and makes a passionate case for international ‘communities of practice’.

Rathna Ramanathan is a graphic designer who was born in Chennai, India and lives in London. She is fortunate to call both places home and her practice is inspired by the contexts of these two vibrant cultures. Rathna has had the pleasure of an education in Fine Art (India), Communication Design (Central Saint Martins) and in Typography and Graphic Communication (University of Reading). She heads the Visual Communication programme at the Royal College of Art and runs her own studio Minus9, focused on contexts of intercultural communication. Her clients include BBC World, Harvard University Press, Tara Books, and the UN. She is ATypI’s Country Delegate for India and co-leads the Experimental Type Research Network.