
Design Matters with Debbie Millman 20th Anniversary celebration with typographers and lettering artists Marian Bantjes, Oded Ezer, Jessica Hische, Tobias Frere-Jones, Matthew Carter, and Kris Holmes
Dec 15, 2025
In this celebration of creativity, Canadian artist Marian Bantjes showcases her distinct approach to typography, emphasizing the harmony of visuals and text. She boldly discusses how her designs blend legibility with expression, steering clear of typographic conventions. Featured guests like Oded Ezer highlight playful typographic experiments, while Jessica Hische reflects on her transformative Daily Drop Cap project. Meanwhile, Tobias Frere-Jones and Matthew Carter share insights on type evolution and historical practices, illuminating the rich tapestry of lettering.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Integrate Visuals And Text
- Marian Bantjes integrates visuals and text so the reading experience becomes the visual experience itself.
- She prioritizes legibility while giving typography strong personality without apology.
Handwritten Lists As Portraits
- Marian Bantjes included her mother's handwritten to-do lists to capture lived human graphics and memory.
- She says those lists already did the graphic representation of a human being she aimed for in the book.
Make Type Behave Over Time
- Oded Ezer reframes typography from how letters look to how letters behave in context over time.
- He experiments playfully to make type act emotionally, physically, and conceptually.





