David grew up on a peninsula south of Los Angeles, and moved East to attend Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. There, he found himself drawn to information design and typography and shifted his studies towards the intersection of communication, design, art, and craft.

As part of his thesis project, he began drawing a handful of original type designs. His first was Climax, a striking text and display series that was designed for Hampshire’s student newspaper. Manicotti, an ultra reversed-stress display face, was awarded the Certificate of Excellence in Type Design in 2007 by the Type Directors Club.

Upon graduating, he joined Font Bureau as a junior designer and is currently assisting with custom projects and expanding the retail library.