About the Forest
Hi! I’m DC Scarpelli — the guy behind The Ampersand Forest.
I am a wholly inveterate Type Nerd. I’ve been in love with letterforms my whole life, and for 16 years, I taught type history, type design, and typography as a college professor.
Type is voice, and I love giving people a voice. A variety of voices, actually, so that they can choose whichever one is best for them for a particular context.
And I don’t just mean designers, either! Type’s for everyone, and every typeface has a purpose and context (yes, even Comic Sans and Papyrus!).
I design type from a bread-and-butter Graphic Designer’s perspective: What type do I need that I can’t find? What type do I want to use that’s way too expensive? What type do I want to see in the world but don’t? And how can I make it delicious?
For me, deliciousness — flavor — is key. Not all type has to be “good type,” whatever that means. It should be designed with thought and care and craft. It should be supremely usable. But it should aim beyond usability toward (trust me: this is the right word) yumminess.
There’s a place in this world for all comers: the avant-garde and the retro, the decorative and the sleek, the objective and the charismatic, the white-tablecloth and the corner food truck (my own type veers very much toward the food truck!).
Thanks so much for visiting! And if you’ve got some time to spare, check out my visual and theatrical design work at dcscarpelli.com!