Rimmerfest: A Celebration of the Life and Work of Jim Rimmer November 25, 2006

This is a free event. A reception will follow the presentations. To reserve a seat please call (604) 291-4658 or e-mail to library at sfu.ca.

Jim’s career stretches back over fifty years and he has made many friends along the way, both at home and abroad: printers, type designers, publishers, students, teachers, design firms, binders, type founders, librarians, book collectors. . . . Since many of these people are printers, we are inviting their participation in this public event by producing a broadside celebrating . . . Jim.

Below is an excerpt from: http://www.sfu.ca/aq/archives/april_05/features/jim_rimmer.html written by Eric Swanick

"He is “one of Canada’s most remarkable typographic figures” according to noted University of Toronto Press book designer Will Reuter. He has been a commercial artist, type designer, book designer, and mentor to countless younger artists in a
career that started with a printing apprenticeship in 1950.
New Westminster’s Jim Rimmer is an icon in the book and
typography world...

...Rimmer’s long fascination with type design has resulted in many typefaces, six of which have been cast or cut in metal, and many more that are found in digital format. His cut or cast typefaces are named for those important to him: Nephi Mediaeval (after his father, John Nephi), Juliana Oldstyle (after a daughter), Fellowship (in honour of the American Typecasting Fellowship), Albertan (after his wife), Hannibal Oldstyle (after Mark Twain’s birthplace), and Duensing Titling (after long-time friend Paul Duensing).

Rimmer ran his own freelance design office from 1972 until 1999 During that time, before he began to devote himself primarily to type design and book publishing, Rimmer had a stellar career as a commercial artist and designer. He designed a series of typographic broadsides on Eric Gill, F. W. Goudy, and others for Westgraphica (now Karo Design), for which he won the prestigious Communication Arts Award of Excellence in the self-promotion class.

His extensive and diverse work also includes the logo of Canadian Pacific Airlines, the provincial mark for the Province of British Columbia, a Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation newsletter, a handbag sold on Granville Island, and a Robert Kroetsch broadside poem, “Masquerading North.” His eclectic design work adds to the richness of the SFU collection.

When not working on one of his book or type projects, Rimmer is found teaching or offering tours of his shop. The shop is filled with presses, type, casters, and all the other wonderful tools of a letterpress shop."

Rimmerfest, which will take place on 25 November at Simon Fraser University Vancouver Fletcher Challenge Theatre (515 West Hastings St.) at 7:30 p.m. Robert Bringhurst, among others, will speak at this celebratory event. All are welcome.

Official Website: http://www.alcuinsociety.com/blog/2006/08/rimmerfest-celebration-of-life-and.html