We asked Jason to share everything ATypI members could ever want to know about him. He had a lot to tell us!
Please provide us with your bio.
Jason is a Principal Designer at Chewy.com, helping lead their design system efforts across ecommerce, enterprise, and native mobile app experiences. Prior to joining Chewy, he led the team in creating a new web platform for the State of Rhode Island; redefined the typography and design system for the State of Georgia Digital Service; and helped numerous type foundries, web browsers, and software companies figure out how to make the most of the new variable font format in their products and brands.
Jason also researches and writes on typography for the web: he’s author of Responsive Typography from O’Reilly, as well as articles for .Net Magazine, PRINT Magazine, HOW, Monotype.com, TYPE Magazine, and others. He’s also a frequent guest on podcasts, and an author of online courses for Aquent’s Gymnasium platform and Front-end Masters, and has presented at over 100 national and international conferences. He also had the honor of being inducted into the Rhode Island Design Hall of Fame in 2019.
The real story: mainly he just follows Leo around Turner Reservoir, posting photos on Instagram.
Give us a sentence that perfectly describes your love for type.
Type is how we hear what we read—and on the web it can speak even more dynamically!
Before this year, were you a member of ATypI? If so, when?
I joined in 2016.
Were you previously a member of the ATypI board, or a country delegate? If so, when?
I am a current board member, since 2018.
Describe your experience/involvement with ATypI activities.
I have spoken and/or given a workshop at ATypI conferences since 2016, including Warsaw, Montreal, Antwerp, Tokyo, and the All Over and Tech Talk events. As a board member I have served as Secretary, and have been a member of the Web Committee for the past two years.
Tell us about your current and past involvement with other type and design organizations.
I’m a former board member for the Rhode Island AIGA chapter, and a co-organizer of the Providence UX Meetup.
Describe your leadership experience with other nonprofits and work with conferences, workshops, publications, teaching, or other activities in the type, design, tech, and related communities.
I’m an Invited Expert on the Web Fonts Working Group at the W3C, and have spoken and/or given workshops at over 100 conferences and events in a dozen countries.
Why should ATypI members elect you to represent them on the board of directors?
I have always endeavored to bring all my experience as a web designer and technologist to my role on the ATypI board. As one of a relatively small number of members focused almost exclusively on web typography and variable fonts, I feel I bring a perspective on type and typography that balances the more print-focused backgrounds of many of our members. I’ve always enjoyed learning more about the history of type and typography, and likewise have appreciated being able to share ways to connect those traditions to the dynamic medium of the web and mobile applications.
I think it’s imperative for the future of ATypI to represent all aspects of type and its application—and hope our community will entrust me with another term as board member to continue that endeavor.
We asked Jason for one more thing…
Please make a short video explaining why you want to be elected to the board, what makes you a good candidate, and why your skills, experience, and ideas will serve and help our community thrive. Something memorable that our members will think of when they are choosing who to vote for.
Answers and materials were provided by the candidate as part of their self-nomination for the ATypI board election. Candidate is a paid ATypI member in good standing and agrees to remain so if they are elected.