Communication Arts - 2013 Typography Annual Jurors

Gail Anderson

Designer, Writer and Educator

Gail Anderson is a New York-based designer, writer and educator. From 2002 through 2010, she served as creative director of design at SpotCo, a New York City advertising agency that creates artwork for Broadway and institutional theater. From 1987 to early 2002, she worked at Rolling Stone, serving as designer, deputy art director and finally, as the magazine’s senior art director. Anderson is co-author, with Steven Heller, of New Modernist Type, as well as New Ornamental Type and New Vintage Type. She is a contributor to Print magazine’s blog Imprint and Uppercase magazine. Anderson teaches at the School of Visual Arts and has served on advisory boards for The Type Directors Club, Adobe Partners by Design and the Society of Publication Designers. She is the recipient of the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Medal from AIGA.

Jessica Hische

Letterer and Illustrator

Jessica Hische is a letterer, illustrator and self-described “avid internetter.” After graduating with a degree in graphic and interactive design from Tyler School of Art (Temple University) in 2006, she worked for Headcase Design in Philadelphia before taking a position as senior designer at Louise Fili Ltd. There she learned most of her skills as a letterer and spent upwards of sixteen hours every day working (nine for Fili and seven-plus for freelance clients). After two-and-a-half years, Hische left to further her freelance career and embark on several fun personal projects. She began the Daily Drop Cap project; every day she created a new illustrative letter, working through the alphabet a total of twelve times. She currently serves on the Type Directors Club board of directors and divides her time fairly evenly between San Francisco and Brooklyn.

Jesse Ragan

Type Designer and Educator

Jesse Ragan has been designing letterforms for as long as he can remember, dating back to his childhood in North Carolina. He learned from the best how to make them into typefaces: as a student at Rhode Island School of Design, an intern at Font Bureau and as a full-time designer at Hoefler & Frere-Jones. Since 2005, Ragan has worked independently in Brooklyn, developing typefaces and lettering for clients including Pentagram, Landor and House Industries. Among his many design credits are collaborative contributions to Gotham, Archer, Chronicle, Sentinel and Omnes. Ragan teaches at Type@Cooper, the postgraduate certificate program in typeface design he co-founded at Cooper Union in 2010. He also lectures occasionally on his work as a designer and educator.