At 20, I discovered type design during a 1976 lettering class at North Hennepin Community College. The assignment to create an original alphabet—Uncial Sans—using tools like Rapid-O-Graph pens and circle templates revealed my calling. Though the ITC (International Typeface Corporation) had yet to launch its submission program, studying Letraset catalogs and U&lc magazine’s bold typography sparked my fascination.

Lance Kiland, my instructor, later shared stories of designers earning $50,000 (equivalent to $290K today) for typefaces—a dream I’d revisit decades later.