In this episode of Type Speaks, co-hosts Ray and Emiko sit down with Briar Levitt. We dive deep into the origins and purpose of the People’s Graphic Design Archive, the importance of saving design history, especially the ordinary and underrepresented, and how inspiration often comes from the tactile, the analog, and the unexpected. Plus, we talk about thrift finds, Oz books, quilt magazines, and the quiet power of uploading one artifact at a time.

Briar Levit is a Professor of Graphic Design at Portland State University. Levit’s feature-length documentary, Graphic Means: A History of Graphic Design Production, which follows design production from manual to digital methods, established an obsession with design history—particularly aspects not in the canon. She currently collaborates with Louise Sandhaus, Brockett Horne, and Morgan Searcy on The People’s Graphic Design Archive. She recently edited a book of essays for Princeton Architectural Press called Baseline Shift: Untold Stories of Women in Graphic Design History.