Laurence is a consultant in font technology and font marketing, based in Bristol, England. His early years in London gave him a taste for Johnstonian numerals, thus annoying his schoolteachers. At university (computer science) he developed a weird and unusable font production system, proving to himself that over-automation of type design is a Bad Thing. He soon went freelance and divined the black art of TrueType hinting, tweaking fonts for Microsoft, Linotype and indie designers. In 1999 he became part of the initial MyFonts.com team, and helped create the site’s unique balance between “newbie appeal” and an extensive typographic resource. He now develops in-house software, contributes editorial content, and co-manages the distributor's contacts with foundries and designers. Laurence also lectures on font technology at typography conferences, particularly TrueType hinting and bitmap type. He is a visiting lecturer for Reading University’s Type Design M.A. He is a member of SOTA and ATypI, and on IFTA’s steering committee.