Typografie / letterontwerp
Ann teaches graphic design, typography and type design at the PXL-MAD since 2006. Her research interests include the interrelations between image & word, typography, type design, legibility, reading, letter press, graphic design, book design, modular systems and much more. In October 2012, she defended her PhD dissertation entitled “Type Design for Children with Low Vision”, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Gerard Unger (Leiden University) and Prof. Dr. Bert Willems (Hasselt University). For this project she was granted twice a scholarship by Microsoft ClearType & Avanced Reading Technologies USA.
Currently she works as a postdoctoral design researcher at PXL-MAD. Recently she was awarded a major grant from Microsoft Advanced Reading Technologies USA for a project on visual prosody. Ann was a finalist in the ‘New Scientist Wetenschapstalent 2015’ competition, which recognises early career researchers in the sciences. Ann set up a Research Institute called READSEARCH (PXL-MAD). READSEARCH focuses on reading research. Type design and/or typography is looked at from a multidisciplinary and scientific perspective, but always with a practical attitude. READSEARCH investigates: Rhythm & Legibility, Rhythm & Reading Comfort, Visual Prosody, Homogeneity & Heterogeneity in typefaces. Ann is also involved in a European COST Action that studies the evolution of Reading in the age of Digitisation. She speaks regularly about legibility and has presented papers and gave workshops on several occasions both in Belgium and abroad.
Beside her task as a teacher and design researcher Ann is (since 2013) also an independent designer. In 2014, she received a certificate of typographic excellence of the TDC (Type Directors Club) and the same year she designed a Belgian postage stamp that set a Guiness record of 606 words on one stamp. Ann has designed several books for the series of monographs Vlees & Beton/Voids & Borders published by thedepartment of Architecture and Urban Planning of the University of Ghent.
Download the CV of Ann Bessemans
