Terrance Weinzierl

TERRANCE WEINZIERL started his own sign painting business when he was 16. After a brief bout as a radio DJ for a classic rock station Terrance found himself studying Art & Design at Grand Valley State University. Thanks to his mom – who was a toy designer for 30 years – and his artistic family, he was supported in his efforts towards a creative career.

After receiving his first lecture on typefaces from Michelle Bowers he was hooked on typography. Most notably, the historical revival called Mrs. Eaves by Zuzana Licko caught his attention. Terrance reflects on historical revivals by saying, "It taught me that type design is not a dead practice, but is alive and well, fueled by a rich history and changing technologies."

During a study abroad program in London, he found inspiration from the London Underground system map designed by Harry Beck, and the type by Edward Johnston. "Truly well designed things, like the London Underground system, could affect millions of people in a ubiquitous way, much like typography," said Terrance.

Terrance worked as a graphic designer for the University Bookstore while earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis in Graphic Design from GVSU in 2008. Soon after graduation, he joined the Ascender team working closely with Jim Ford and Steve Matteson on type design, development and production.

Terrance works on a wide variety of type design and font development projects at Ascender. He actively involved in custom font design, retail fonts and both productizing and testing fonts.

Electronica and dance music dominate his music library and posters cover his walls. He loves to travel to visit his family in Minneapolis, Detroit and Vermont. He enjoys dining out, movies, video games, and taking care of his aquarium; when he’s not indulging in type and design, of course. You can see more of his personal work at www.typeterrance.com  (subscribe to Terrance's RSS feed)