Alphabetic Order is a San Francisco study space dedicated to type design & lettering. We offer workshops, meetups and immersive learning opportunities.
The Studio
Alphabetic Order is the educational component of PSY/OPS, a design studio specializing in font development for the tech and interactive sectors. Alphabetic Order also incubates with Glyfyx Inc, a designer of letter-based toys, games and art objects.
The Alphabetic Order salon is more of a retro play-lounge than a classroom. Cozy and loaded with colorful typographic curiosities, prototypes and art pieces. Alphabetic immersion occurs naturally here, which is perfect for learning about type design.
Our Team
Rod Cavazos heads up Alphabetic Order. He is Founder and Principal at PSY/OPS, where he has designed and produced hundreds of typefaces over two decades, including for GM, EA, Amazon, Samsung, Motorola, Panera, Chipotle, GAP, Jack Daniel Distillery, the US Government and dozens of other notables. He is also Chief Creative at Glyfyx Inc, and serves as an Adjunct Professor at California College of the Arts, where he’s taught the acclaimed Type Design Studio since 2006. His work has appeared in numerous books and periodicals, most recently Just My Type by Simon Garfield and Typography Sketchbooks by Steven Heller. He has spoken at many colleges and design events, including TYPO SF. His passion for type and teaching are boundless, and he can usually be found tinkering with letters in some form, on screen or off.
Justine Mendoza is a multi-disciplinary artist, and co-teaches workshops at Alphabetic Order. She has served as Sr. Visual Designer at PSY/OPS and Glyfyx since 2008, focusing on special studio projects (apps, posters, toys, books, music, packaging, photography, web, social and more). She received her BFA in Graphic Design from CCA, where she was a distinguished participant in the Type Design Studio. Her work has been featured in several gallery exhibitions, including at the Pasadena Museum of California Art. You can see a sampling of her personal projects on her Etsy site.
James Beall holds a BFA in Graphic Design from California College of the Arts and co-teaches the technical sessions at Alphabetic Order. He’s served as Chief Technologist at PSY/OPS since 2006: crafting, coding and mastering thousands of impeccable fonts. He has yet to run into a technical issue he can’t resolve in record time. He is also a Sr. Designer at Glyfyx, where he is responsible for the beloved Bitblox wooden pixel blocks. For fun, he runs the popular LegoGenre site.
Chiharu Tanaka assists with workshops and Guestships at Alphabetic Order. She is a Junior Type Designer at PSY/OPS, where she has contributed to many type commissions for world class clients. Chiharu holds an MFA in Graphic Design from Academy of Art University. Her Masters thesis, which explored the interaction of Japanese motif with Western letterforms, was awarded a top Adobe Design Achievement Award in 2010. Prior to moving to San Francisco she worked as a Graphic Designer at elite agencies in Tokyo.
