He’s also an accomplished swimmer and water polo player. He has both an M.A. and an M.F.A. in painting from The University of Iowa. His interest in letter forms began at a young age. In 1983 he began a career as a freelance type designer. He has since designed faces for renowned type publishers such as the Font Bureau, Bitstream, Emigre, and House Industries. John possesses both an acute sense and an eye for the crafts of lettering and type design. He also writes about type and type history for Emigre magazine, House magazine, and other publications. He lives in Iowa City, and travels widely in the United States and Europe, always on the lookout for interesting letter forms.