Patric King is a graphic designer and typographer who’s been working in Chicago since the mid-1990s. Immediately after graduating from The University of Tennessee’s Graphic Communications program, he came to Chicago to work at the design studio Thirst, to collaborate with Rick Valicenti. Today, King’s most notable work, is Big Shoulders, the official typeface for the City of Chicago. This typeface launched in 2020 in conjunction with a brand refresh of the city.
However, long before Chicago and college, King was already infatuated with the possibilities of graphic design. Growing up in Tenessee, his home was adorned with printing ephemera due to the fact that his grandfather was head of binding at a printing press in Kingsport Tennessee and it was through his architect neighbor that King received an introduction to hand-lettering.
As a teenager, growing up in the 1980s, his awareness of design as an emotional communication medium was ignited through album covers for bands such as Visage, Duran Duran, and Buzzcocks — specifically the work by the British designer Malcolm Garrett, but even more specifically, his design for Duran Duran’s album, Seven and the Ragged Tiger. At just thirteen years old, King was enamored by the design of the album and the way the visuals coincided with the songs.
In episode six of Underscore, our podcast, King speaks with host, Christian Solorzano and discusses coming to Chicago in the mid-1990s to work alongside Rick Valicenti at the design studio Thirst and the work that he did while there. King also shares how he founded House of Pretty, his design studio, and speaks about some of the early influences that shaped his career.
After coming to Chicago, King began working with Rick Valicenti at Thirst, and it was here that King designed for clients such as Herman Miller and Gary Fisher — he is also responsible for the identity behind Chicago’s iconic laundromat, Bubbleland.
After a few years at Thirst, King eventually founded House of Pretty, his graphic design studio alongside his husband Su. In the early 2000s, the two of them were responsible for the design of the blog network Gawker media, where they managed a wide range of brands.
Today, in addition to working with clients, he also manages his type foundry, XO Type Co.
Follow Patric King on Instagram.
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