On the eve of his 63rd birthday, I am thinking fondly of my hero Michael Bixler, typographer, printer & typefounder, who inspired me to study and practice my craft with exacting standards. He was a good student of Lawson’s and spoke often of him warmly. I learned a great deal during lunch in between our days at the casters. I miss those days.

This article makes a startling assertation, that Mike was (very likely) the first student to design his own typeface. Period, thee first. I’ve always known him to be an amazing guy, but this revelation put him in the whole new league . . . the majors in my humble opinion.

The article first appeared in the September 1968 issue of Printing Impressions and subsequently appeared on Michael & Winifred Bixler’s website, which I proudly participated in constructing. Here’s “When a Student Designs a Typeface.” Happy Birthday Mike!

The ASL Archivist