"I have always loved to draw. When I first encountered type design, I discovered a very pure form of drawing. It’s about contour, and edges, and, most of all, shapes. Black and white shapes. For me, this is drawing distilled down to its essence."
—Cyrus Highsmith

In 2015, American typeface designer and educator Cyrus Highsmith was awarded the prestigious Gerrit Noordzij Prize. Awarded every three years, the Prize recognizes type designers and typographers for extraordinary contributions to the fields of type design, typography, and type education. This book was published on the occasion of the 2018 prize exhibition which featured Highsmith's work.

Highsmith is known for his original approach to drawing letterforms—as well as his work as an illustrator, author, and teacher—and this publication shares many spreads from his sketchbooks while tracing his career and approach to typography. 

With essays by Indra Kupferschmid, David Berlow, and Cyrus Highsmith, and a previously published interview of Highsmith by Jan Middendrop.  

Designed by Erik van Blokland and Peter Verheul

Published by De Buitenkant, 2018

Softcover, 64 pages, exposed sewn binding, b&w and full color images, 6.5 × 9.5 inches

ISBN: 978-94-90913-82-3