Michael Twyman awarded Sir Misha Black Medal

We are delighted to announce that Professor Michael Twyman has been awarded the 2014 Sir Misha Black Medal for his contribution to design education.

Professor Sue Walker recalls:

‘Writing about ‘Typography as a university subject’ in 1970, Michael identified four ‘basic beliefs’ that governed the structure of the Reading course:

  • the visual form of typography should relate closely to the language used and its organisation reflect and reinforce its meaning;
  • typographic designers should understand the technical means at their disposal;
  • the reader must be respected;
  • typographic design is planning in relation to the above three, usually in the context of a client, an organisation, a budget and a deadline.

These statements are still relevant today, and have influenced the approach to design taken by our students.’