W.A. Dwiggins
Few will recognize the name W.A. Dwiggins unless perhaps you’ve taken a CCAD typography class. Even fewer were around during his lifetime but it’s safe to say we’ve all seen his work one way or another. Dwiggins was an Ohio artist in the early 20th century credited with coining the phrase ‘graphic designer’. He was a master type designer studying under Frederick Goudy in Chicago – you might know that guy from Goudy Stout and Copperplate – especially if you’re a graphic designer. The artist, born in Martinsville, Ohio and raised in Cambridge, moved to Massachusetts in 1905 where he spent the next 50 years as a well-known book illustrator and font designer. Dwiggins left Ohio over 100 years ago and time has all but erased his name from our local, collective memory. To reverse this injustice of character, New England-based biographer and artist Bruce Kennett travelled to Ohio to give an illustrated talk on Ohio’s forgotten son. The event took place Monday, June 20th in Cambridge.