“There is just something magical about type,” says Monotype Imaging Designer Sebastian Lester. “If you design a successful typeface it can travel the world, taking a part of you with it.”
Lester began his career with letters after graduating with honors from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. The first few years he spent designing for the music and games industries, dabbling in 3D animation and designing type for the likes of T-26 and Garage Fonts. Then, in 2000, Lester joined Monotype Imaging. He recalls, “I remember thinking that I might have a good chance of getting an interview. I had a passion for type, a solid knowledge of current trends in design and a body of work that hopefully showed some raw potential.”
Obviously it did, because Lester now creates fonts at Monotype Imaging for both on-screen and print applications. “I’ve always had a deep interest in type and typography,” says Lester, “but when I began creating text typefaces for Monotype Imaging, I gained new insight into the subtleties of letterform design.”
At Monotype Imaging, he has been part of the team developing custom fonts for a wide range of clients including Waitrose, BG Bank Denmark and Opel. He also designed the mastheads for The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph in the UK and the Barclaycard logo.
Scene™ was Lester’s first commercial typeface family created for the Monotype Imaging typeface library. This was followed by the
Neo Sans™ and
Neo Tech™ families.
When not designing type, Lester also enjoys other creative pursuits: illustration and music. “I love good Drum and Bass and House music. It’s a source of a lot of inspiration.”
