Michael Twyman, who died on 27 October at the age of 91, was a towering figure in typographic education, printing history and information design.
He spent his whole career at the University of Reading, England, from joining in 1953 as a student, to Emeritus Professor in retirement. He launched his innovative Typography and Graphic Communication programme in 1968, focused on what he called ‘design for reading’, with links to other university disciplines, including linguistics, psychology and computer science.
Michael was a leading historian of printing, and based much of his teaching on the university’s collections, including a major collection of Isotype materials. Marie Neurath visited to talk to students in the early days, and they were immersed in the history of typography through trips to Germany and Italy.
Michael was heavily involved with interdisciplinary work on visible language in the 1970s and 80s, and his writings and teaching were influential as the field of information design emerged.
He served on the first IIID board at its launch in 1988. Several members of the IIID Executive Board studied at Reading, and owe much to Michael’s legacy.
The Guardian published an obituary on December 2, 2025.