“The manifestations of this type addiction have evolved over time. It first started with Positype, my type foundry,” Neil Summerour said in his Creative Characters interview. “Type is the first and last thing read by your clients’ customers. As cliché as it sounds, it can make or break a project. Developing distinctive, responsive typefaces always rests in the back of my mind now when I sit down to draw.”

Based in Georgia, Neil has worked as a graphic designer, type designer, calligrapher and teacher. “By all logical conclusions it really looks like I am a workaholic but I love what I do,” he said. “Each creative thing I do fuels every other part.”

Since it’s founding in 2002, Positype has published over 500 fonts, including an incredible collection of text and display faces. “When I take on a new design, especially something I feel would work for text-setting, it is often because I am not seeing exactly what I want or would use at that time. My creative juices flow faster when it is an attempt to go against the current creative trend.”

“There is no substitute for pen, pencil or brush on paper. The process is very forgiving and allows for developing much more of an understanding of the letterforms you are creating. Each new typeface I begin builds upon the maturity I gained with the last round of sketches I performed for the typeface before it. For me it connects artist with engineer, creativity from code.”