Since his career’s beginnings in the mid–1970s, Rod McDonald’s work as a designer, educator, historian and prolific writer has encompassed virtually every aspect of the typographic arts.

McDonald has worked both as a freelance typographic designer and on the staff of such companies as Mono Lino Typesetting and the renowned Cooper & Beatty typesetting house in Toronto. His alphabets, wordmarks and symbols have been used by organizations ranging from General Motors and the National Arts Centre to Canadian Business and Chatelaine magazines. He has taught numerous typography courses at the Ontario College of Art and Design and is currently teaching at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. McDonald also writes a column on typography for Applied Arts magazine.