3D typography show takes shape at Brandstater

Neon, steel, nylon kites, BandAids -- these are among the materials typeface designer and professor Andrew Byrom uses to create his typographical works. And he's bringing his unique display to La Sierra University.

Byrom's show, “Upper Lower Open Closed: The Experimental Typography of Andrew Byrom” will be on exhibit Oct. 4 through Oct. 28 at La Sierra's Brandstater Gallery. An opening reception will be held Oct. 11, 6 - 8 p.m. at the gallery. The 20-piece display will be available for viewing Mon. - Thurs., 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Sun., 2 - 5 p.m. Admission is free.

Byrom is currently a professor in the art department at California State University, Long Beach. He previously taught at Northern Illinois University, the University of Luton, England and at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. An award-winning designer, Byrom has exhibited in competitions and galleries in New York, Chicago, Baltimore, Minneapolis and in other states. He counts New York Times magazine, McGraw Hill, Penguin Books, Fonthaus Type Foundry and NIU Chicago Gallery among his typographic design clients. The December isssue of Print magazine, a high-profile graphic design industry publication, will include Byrom's poster for La Sierra University's Visual Art Center.

Byrom was born in Liverpool, England and has been engrossed in the world of type design since the 1990s when he was introduced to the medium while studying illustration at an art school there. He later studied at the University of East London and specialized in typeface design.

Byrom became intrigued by the “rich history and tradition” of typeface design as well as its “endless possibilities for future exploration,” he said. “Like many designers, I enjoy working with, and around, constraints. Perhaps typeface design appeals to me so much because its overriding constraint is so unambiguous -- the alphabet.”

While he does not classify himself as an artist, Byrom's work is exhibited in galleries and viewed as 'art', he said. “As a typeface designer I am making tools for others to use. my working method does not allow me to conceive my work as art,” he said.

In a booklet prepared for the Brandstater Gallery exhibit, Byrom states that at times his three-dimensional typographical forms find their way into his more traditional, two-dimensional type designs. “But on occasions, my work has moved into unexpected areas such as furniture and product design.”

As a child, Byrom expressed his creative interests by drawing and making books. At age 16 he followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather and entered a five-year apprenticeship at a local shipyard. Upon completion of the apprenticeship, however, Byrom followed his own creative interests and enrolled in a foundation course at the art school.

His advice to neophyte artists concerned with success and how to 'make it'?: “I don't think it's possible -- or even a good idea -- to work on anything knowing upfront you will achieve success,” he said. “My teaching position paid my bills and allowed, and encouraged, an experimental approach. Away from the usual deadlines and restrictions of client-based work, I was allowed to fail.” In his exhibit book, Byrom states, “I have found that to truly experiment, failure must be an option and should be accepted as part of the process.”

PR Contact: Larry Becker
Executive Director of University Relations
La Sierra University
Riverside, California
951.785.2460 (voice)