Everywhere I Go: Thirty Years of Sketchbooks
October 28, 2025
Cyrus Highsmith will deliver our forty-second Standing-Room Only Lecture. His topic and title could not be better: “Everywhere I Go: Thirty Years of Sketchbooks.”
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A Printer with My Hands: The Life and Work of Carl P. Rollins (The Boston Book Launch)
November 6, 2025
We’ll introduced Katherine M. Ruffin’s A Printer with My Hands: The Life and Work of Carl P. Rollins to Greater Boston and the greater world as both Katherine and a pile of his books will be present for a book launch party without further formalities. Learn more »
Kelli Anderson’s Alphabet in Motion: The Boston Book Launch + a Talk
November 11, 2025
Kelli Anderson will deliver our forty-third Standing-Room Only Lecture. Her topic and title could not be better: “Alphabet in Motion: The Boston Book Launch + a Talk.” Learn more »
Past Events
Experimental Type Design: A Checkered History
October 7, 2025
Matthew Carter delivered our forty-first Standing-Room Only Lecture. His topic and title could not have been better: “Experimental Type Design: A Checkered History.” Learn more »
Yard Sale 2025
October 5, 2025
Sometimes it’s time to let things go. That time was Sunday, October 5, when we put out for cheap all sorts of good and kinda-good stuff for a yard sale. Learn more »
Papyrus: The Authoritative Origin Story
September 25, 2025
Chris Costello delivered our fortieth Standing-Room Only Lecture. His topic and title could not have been better: “Papyrus: The Authoritative Origin Story.” Learn more »
Three Score Keepers: The Mid-Point Opening
September 7, 2025
We celebrated artist Crystalle Lacouture and Caira Art Editions and marked the mid-point of their Three Score Keepers exhibit at Katherine Wall Gallery. Learn more »
Clara Istlerová: A Life Among Letters
Postponed!
Anežka Minaříková was supposed to deliver our fortieth Standing-Room Only Lecture. Her topic and title could not have been better: “Clara Istlerová: A Life Among Letters.” We’re working on rescheduling for 2026. Learn more »
Typographics Book Fair 2025
June 27–29, 2025
We’ll leave on a midnight train to NYC so we can exhibit at the Typographics book fair at Cooper Union on June 27 and 28 and 29. Packed your bags and meet us there. Learn more »
Top Tier
May 21, 2025
Ryan Diaz emcee’d our thirty-ninth Standing-Room Only Lecture delivered by Tina Rosado, Yiner Xu, and Ghazaleh Farrokhi. Their topic and title could not have been better: “Top Tier.” Learn more »
Of Hacksaws and Celluloid: The Beguiling Stencil Work of W.A. Dwiggins
May 2, 2025
Bruce Kennett delivered our thirty-eighth Standing-Room Only Lecture. His topic and title could not have been better: “Of Hacksaws and Celluloid: The Beguiling Stencil Work of W.A. Dwiggins.” Learn more »
Dramatizing the Curve: Graphic Design Meets Data Visualization
April 17, 2025
Hannah Pivo delivered our thirty-seventh Standing-Room Only Lecture. Her topic and title could not have been better: “Dramatizing the Curve: Graphic Design Meets Data Visualization.” Learn more »
A Field Guide to Prefab Letterforms
March 31, 2025
Stephen Coles delivered our thirty-sixth Standing-Room Only Lecture. His topic and title could not have been better: “A Field Guide to Prefab Letterforms.” Learn more »
Greetings from Uli Huber: The Guided Tour
March 13, 2025
Our thirty-fifth Standing-Room Only Lecture was a guided tour (via slides) of our exhibition Greetings from Uli Huber. Learn more »
Last Words: The Boston Book Launch (and a Design Brief Wake)
January 28, 2025
We introduced Last Words: Gravestones of Type Designers to Greater Boston and the greater world as author Gavin Morrison was present for a book launch party without further formalities and a wake to observe this final issue of our Design Brief. Learn more »
Meet the Kenji
December 21, 2024
Come meet Kenji Nakayama of Need Signs? Will Paint! as he’ll be here with a fresh batch of beautiful practice sheets and handsome tote bags. Learn more »
December! Pop-up! Fair! With Kelli Anderson!
December 14, 2024
Who doesn’t love a fair in December? End everyone loves a pop-up. And what about Kelli Anderson? We’ll have all three when Kelli comes up from New York with a trainload of books and cheer. Learn more »
Meet the Owner
December 8, 2024
Have you ever wondered who’s responsible for everything that goes on at Katherine Small Gallery? That person is The Owner. Come in and say hello as The Owner comes in to answer questions and show of rarities from The Back. Learn more »
“Graphics and New Technology,” 1981 (2025)
December 5, 2024
David Reinfurt and Robert Wiesenberger delivered our thirty-fourth Standing-Room Only Lecture. Their topic and title could not have been better: “‘Graphics and New Technology’ 1981 (2025).” Learn more »
Boston Bookstores: A Free Map Giveaway
November 16, 2024
Boston-based graphic designer Livia Lemgruber produced a map of independent bookstores in Boston + Cambridge + Somerville. We invited Livia to give out copies for free. Learn more »
Modern Pioneers in Typography and Design: Inge Druckrey in Conversation with Tobias Frere‑Jones
November 10, 2024
Our thirty-third Standing-Room Only Lecture had chairs—and Tobias Frere-Jones interviewing Inge Druckrey about her new book, Modern Pioneers in Typography and Design. Learn more »
HERE: Where the Black Designers Are. An Evening with Cheryl D. Holmes-Miller
November 8, 2024
Cheryl D. Holmes-Miller delivered our thirty-second Standing-Room Only Lecture. Her topic and title could not have been better: “HERE: Where the Black Designers Are.” Learn more »
Barry Moser’s Wood Engraving: The Boston Book Launch
October 27, 2024
We reintroduced Barry Moser’s Wood Engraving to Greater Boston and the greater world as both Barry and a selection of his books and prints were present for a book launch party without further formalities. Learn more »
Yard Sale 2024
October 6, 2024
Sometimes it’s time to let things go. That time was Sunday, October 6, when we put out for cheap all sorts of good and kinda-good stuff for a yard sale. Learn more »