Freda Sack
British designer Freda Sack was born in London in 1951 and gained a diploma in graphic design and typography from the Maidstone College of Art. Her first job, in 1972, was with Letraset International where she worked as a photographic retoucher, later moving into their type studio. Under the supervision of Bob Newman she learnt the skills of drawing type and stencil cutting, and began to design headline faces. She became involved in producing artwork for the Letraset instant lettering dry transfer sheets, and trained junior designers.
She was appointed Senior Type Designer in 1978 to Hardy Williams Design in London and worked on advertising campaigns and corporate typefaces for companies such as Post Office Telecommunications, and Renault. It was during this time that Sack developed an interest in digital typefaces.
In 1980 she joined Typographic Systems International and worked at the forefront of type technology with Ikarus software. In 1983 she turned to freelance work and took commissions from British Airways, Air UK, and Vauxhall. In collaboration with Walter Tracey and Shelley Winter, she worked on The Daily Telegraph headline typefaces.
In 1990 with David Quay, she co-founded The Foundry Types, a font marketing venture to develop, manufacture and market typefaces by Sack and Quay. Sack, as partner and designer at the Foundry, acts as a design consultant to clients seeking new font formats for their systems. They have worked with NatWest Bank, Railtrack signage, and the Lisbon Metro.
Sack was active in the typographic community, being Chair of the International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD) and lecturing to a wide variety of British universities. Her work has been exhibited throughout the world, and she was honoured for her work in 1994 with the Type Director's Club Award for Typographic Excellence.
[SLC, September 2020]
