Joseph Churchward
Encyclopedia
Joseph Churchward QSM
(born in 1933 in the ‘aiga Sā Anae in Samoa
) is a Samoan New Zealander
graphic designer
and typesetter. He is famous for having designed font
s now used around the world. His designs were also used in the masthead
of the newspaper The Evening Post. He has handcrafted over 570 original typeface
s, and continues to do so to this day.
Churchward moved to New Zealand
in 1946 to study at Miramar South School in Wellington
. In 1948, he obtained an Art Distinction Award in Lettering from Wellington Technical College and began a career as a commercial artist.
He founded Churchward International Typefaces in 1969. German company Berthold Fototypes subsequently distributed his fonts throughout the world.
Churchward has created more than 582 original typefaces. He is currently working on another 20, which will push him over his goal of 600.
In 2008, a special exhibition was set up for his art at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
.
Churchward is of Samoan, English
, Scottish
, Tongan and Chinese
heritage.
Churchward was awarded the Queen's Service Medal in the 2010 Queen's Birthday Honours, for services to typography.
One of his typefaces, Churchward Design is used in the opening and closing titles of the French movie Le Magnifique
.
Queen's Service Order
The Queen's Service Order was established by Queen Elizabeth II on 13 March 1975, awarded by the government of New Zealand "for valuable voluntary service to the community or meritorious and faithful services to the Crown or similar services within the public sector, whether in elected or...
(born in 1933 in the ‘aiga Sā Anae in Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
) is a Samoan New Zealander
Samoan New Zealander
Samoan New Zealanders are Samoan immigrants in New Zealand, their descendants, and New Zealanders of Samoan ethnic descent. They constitute one of New Zealand's most sizeable ethnic minorities...
graphic designer
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
and typesetter. He is famous for having designed font
Font
In typography, a font is traditionally defined as a quantity of sorts composing a complete character set of a single size and style of a particular typeface...
s now used around the world. His designs were also used in the masthead
Masthead
-Media:* the masthead , a list, usually found on the editorial page of a newspaper or other periodical, listing the publisher, editorial board, advertising rates, etc....
of the newspaper The Evening Post. He has handcrafted over 570 original typeface
Typeface
In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
s, and continues to do so to this day.
Churchward moved to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1946 to study at Miramar South School in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
. In 1948, he obtained an Art Distinction Award in Lettering from Wellington Technical College and began a career as a commercial artist.
He founded Churchward International Typefaces in 1969. German company Berthold Fototypes subsequently distributed his fonts throughout the world.
Churchward has created more than 582 original typefaces. He is currently working on another 20, which will push him over his goal of 600.
In 2008, a special exhibition was set up for his art at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the national museum and art gallery of New Zealand, located in Wellington. It is branded and commonly known as Te Papa and Our Place; "Te Papa Tongarewa" is broadly translatable as "the place of treasures of this land".The museum's principles...
.
Churchward is of Samoan, English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
, Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
, Tongan and Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
heritage.
Churchward was awarded the Queen's Service Medal in the 2010 Queen's Birthday Honours, for services to typography.
One of his typefaces, Churchward Design is used in the opening and closing titles of the French movie Le Magnifique
Le Magnifique
Le Magnifique is a French movie released in 1973, starring Jacqueline Bisset and Jean-Paul Belmondo.Le Magnifique is a slapstick spoof of B-series espionage movies and novels.-Synopsis:...
.
External links
- "Laban: Joseph Churchward World of Type Exhibition", Luamanuvao Winnie LabanLuamanuvao Winnie LabanLuamanuvao Winifred "Winnie" Alexandra Laban, QSO is a New Zealand politician. She was the Member of Parliament for the Mana electorate, representing the Labour Party. She was the Labour Party’s spokesperson for Pacific Island Affairs and spokesperson for Interfaith Dialogue.-Early life and...
, New Zealand government press release, August 21, 2008 - Joseph Churchward on the website of the Klingspor MuseumKlingspor MuseumThe Klingspor-Museum is a museum in Offenbach, Germany, for the art of modern book production, typography and type. It includes a collection of the fine art books from Karl Klingspor, one of the owners of Gebr...
- Joseph Churchward works in Te Papa's Collections Online