The idea of stagnation has always given Stefán Kjartansson anxiety attacks. Born in Siglufjörður, Iceland, he got his BA in graphic design from Iceland Arts in 1993. After illustrating two best-selling children’s books, he moved on to graphic design. Too poor to purchase typefaces, he started making his own and released GOR, a deconstructive slab serif, with Garagefonts. As soon as the internet reached the shores of Reykjavík, Stefán made his own website, which led to a job in Atlanta, GA designing CNN.com. In the next five years, Stefán worked his way from interactive designer to creative director. After the birth of his son Thor, he co-founded the interactive agency, Armchair, and has directed projects such as Coca-Cola’s M5. As a creative outlet, Stefán continues designing typefaces, including the humanistic sans serif Reykjavik and the display font Armchair Modern with PSY/OPS. His latest typeface, Black Slabbath was recently released for You Work For Them. It is the heaviest slab serif in the world. Ever.

Photo by David Stuart.