Typography governs how language is experienced — not just read, but understood. For centuries, typographers have refined the conventions that make text readable. Typeset.us applies those conventions where they have been most neglected — the browser.
The Foundation
Dustin York is an alumnus of the Honors Communication Design program at NSCAD, where he studied rhetoric under Hanno Ehses and was mentored by Peter Brooks at the Dawson Printshop — learning typographic rigor and the art of letterpress printing. Ehses pioneered the application of classical rhetoric to visual communication, demonstrating that the ancient structures of argumentation remain essential tools for designers. The program instilled a discipline: design choices carry persuasive meaning beyond their literal function. Dustin's thesis extended these principles to typography on the web.
The Practice
For over 20 years, York has served as Art Director at Better World Advertising — a studio dedicated exclusively to social good. HIV/STD prevention, anti-tobacco initiatives, LGBTQ+ rights, mental health, foster care, and environmental advocacy. In public health communication, typographic decisions are consequential. The wrong typeface undermines credibility. The right one makes vital information accessible and trustworthy.
The Tool
Typeset.us addresses what browsers have long neglected: the typographic details that separate professionally set text from raw output. Orphan control, rag refinement, binding logic, measure-aware line composition. These conventions are well established in print. On the web, they have been largely absent. This project works to close that gap.
The Craft
Typography is the discipline of making language visible with intention. This site is an effort to make that discipline available to anyone working with text on screen.