David Jonathan Ross designs typefaces at digital type studio The Font Bureau Inc, drawing letters of all shapes and sizes for custom and retail. From reversed stress slab serifs of the 19th century to Art Deco sans serifs of the 20th, he ransacks forgotten and pigeonholed lettering styles and searches for new approaches to the same old alphabet.

David graciously shared with us a bit about his humble beginnings and some beautiful scans of Rob Roy Kelly's American Wood Type.

What began your obsession with reverse-stress typefaces?

I designed and lettered a faux "wanted" poster… trying to attract new staff for my college newspaper. That was the beginnings of my first real typeface, Manicotti.

From Rob Roy Kelly's American Wood Type.

How did you come to design type?

I didn't go to art school. I became interested in design, but realized that graphic design didn't involve as much. I find making fonts to be a fun place at the intersection of drawing and problem solving.

What does your design process look like?

I usually draw directly on the computer, quickly prototyping ideas with a handful of characters while exploring a typeface through weights, widths, etc. Once I begin to settle on the design, I begin to expand the character set and number of styles, tightening up the design along the way. It's a very iterative process, one small change opens up the possibility for many other changes. Finally, it's a matter of adding kerning pairs and mastering the font file.

When it's a custom job, it can be a matter of weeks or months. But my average amount of time between when I come up with a font and when it is released is about two years (though I'm not working on it the whole time).

To view David's gorgeous work, visit djr.com.

To meet him in person, be sure to RSVP for his upcoming Backasswards talk hosted by Maker City LA on May 22: http://bit.ly/backasswards!

We'll be there along with sponsors Mohawk Paper, Color Ink Print, Primary Color, Sugar & Fluff, Taste of Pace and Icelandic Glacial.