90 Years of The Society of Typographic Arts

In an event that took place in the 1920s, designers affiliated with the Chicago Chapter of AIGA held an unsanctioned, notoriously wild party on Lake Michigan. When the AIGA Board of Directors in New York learned of the incident, they disavowed the Chicago Chapter on the grounds of lack of control over members. The orphaned designers then gathered to form The Society of Typographic Arts (STA). The salacious start of this professional design organization foreshadowed events to come in their 90-year history, including a temporary switch to the name of American Center for Design as well as an infamous dumpster-diving incident to save archival work. These factual incidents, as well as the significant works of design collected through the years, were uncovered in the research we lead in creating the book for the 90th anniversary of the STA.

Team
Editors: Sharon Oiga, Guy Villa Jr, Wayne Stuetzer
Design: Sharon Oiga, Guy Villa Jr

Distinctions
American Graphic Design Award
UIC Daley Library, Special Collections (acquisition pending)
Chicago History Museum (acquisition pending)

Colloquia
2019 | Type Tales Chicago | Held by Type Magazine | Chicago, IL | Chicago Design Through The Decades
2018 | Design Incubation 5.1 | Chicago Design Week | DePaul University, Chicago, IL | 90 Years of The STA
2018 | STA Design Inspiration Weekend | Itasca, IL | 90 Years of The Society of Typographic Arts
2017 | ATypI | Montreal, Canada | 90 Years of The Society of Typographic Arts