{"id":716,"date":"2018-03-22T14:28:36","date_gmt":"2018-03-22T21:28:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/slantedhall.wordpress.com\/?p=716"},"modified":"2025-08-12T22:25:24","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T05:25:24","slug":"typecon-2017-conference-trip-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/slantedhall.com\/blog\/2018\/03\/22\/typecon-2017-conference-trip-report\/","title":{"rendered":"TypeCon 2017 Conference Trip Report"},"content":{"rendered":"

TypeCon<\/a>\u00a0(@typecon<\/a>\u00a0\/ @typesociety<\/a>)\u00a0was held in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 23\u201327 August 2017 at the Boston Park Plaza hotel. I believe attendance was around 400.<\/p>\n

\"Jeff<\/p>\n

Unexpected connections and overlap:<\/strong> Bob Colby, who founded TypeCon, attended. He\u2019s from the Boston area. I kept thinking he looked familiar. Oh, right. We were both at various Boston rock shows in the early to mid 1990s, when I was part of the Boston music scene. And we have at least one good friend in common, whom I had just spoken to earlier the same day. While Delve Withrington<\/a> (@delvefonts<\/a>) and I were walking back from MassArt after the Wednesday evening talk by Alex Trochut,<\/strong>\u00a0we realized we had also lived in Boston and were likely at some of the same local concerts. I was out at shows 5\u20137 nights a week, taking photos of performing musicians.\u00a0I had long hair back then, so it may be easy to not recognize me.<\/p>\n

\n

Jump to:\u00a0Wednesday<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Thursday<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Friday<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Saturday<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Sunday<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Type Crit<\/a>,<\/span>Paula Scher SOTA Award<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Ramakrishna Saiteja SOTA Catalyst Award<\/a>,<\/span>Keynote<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Links (write-ups, presentations, photos)<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Feedback<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I arrived in Boston very early Tuesday morning. Amazing how my brain knew exactly where to go to navigate the T (metro) to change lines, though it had been 20 years since I had moved away. Immediately upon arrival at the conference hotel, I ran into friends. Georg Seifert of Glyphs<\/a> (@glyphsapp<\/a>) and Delve Withrington<\/a> (@delvefonts<\/a>) were chatting. After some conversation and grabbing a shower, Georg and I wandered to the nearby Jaho Coffee Roaster & Wine Bar (@jahocoffee<\/a>) to catch up and talk about projects.<\/p>\n

As part of catching up with friends in Boston, I dropped by WMBR<\/a>\u00a088.1 FM\u00a0(@wmbr<\/a>),\u00a0MIT\u2019s radio station, to visit musician Ken Field<\/a>\u00a0(@revsnakeens<\/a>) during his weekly radio show The New Edge<\/a>\u00a0(Tuesdays, 2\u20134pm ET). Turns out he also had a guest gig with Aperitivo Trio & Friends<\/a> at The Lilypad<\/a> (@lilypadinman<\/a>)\u00a0in Inman Square, Cambridge, MA that evening. After catching up with a dear friend for dinner, I walked to the fabulous concert. Georg also attended. Aperitivo Trio consisted of\u00a0Ara Sarkissian<\/a> (piano), Andy Blickenderfer<\/a> (bass) and Fabio Pirozzolo<\/a> (percussion). Guests were Ken Field<\/a> (saxophone and flute) and\u00a0Palestinian oud player\u00a0Basel Zayed<\/a>\u00a0(@basel_zayed<\/a>). Georg and I walked to Harvard Square. My friend Marah joined us for a late dinner.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Wednesday: Workshops, 23 August 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Wednesday, I sat in on the Glyphs workshops to help out. While locating the workshops, I met Chiharu Tanaka<\/a>,\u00a0another bay area type designer, working with PSY\/OPS Type Foundry<\/a>\u00a0(@psyopstype<\/a>). It was also wonderful to run into Qiu Yin and Ming Wei from FounderType<\/a>\u00a0(@foundertype<\/a>), China, again. The morning was on\u00a0TrueType Hinting in Glyphs: Optimize Your TTFs for the Screen<\/a> with Lisa Schultz<\/a>\u00a0(@chofrosubo<\/a>)\u00a0of Schriftlabor<\/a>\u00a0(@schriftlabor<\/a>). An Open Feedback Session:\u00a0Q & A with the Developer of Glyphs<\/a>\u00a0with Georg Seifert<\/a> (@glyphsapp<\/a>)\u00a0followed in the afternoon. It was fun to catch up with James Grisehaber<\/a>\u00a0(@typeco<\/a>), talking about type, Glyphs, wood type, and P22<\/a>\u00a0(@P22TypeFoundry<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Wednesday evening: Alex Trochut<\/a> (@alextrochut<\/a>) talked about his creative process in Non-verbal Communication and the Written Medium<\/em><\/a> at MassArt<\/a>\u00a0(@MassArt<\/a>),\u00a0presented by the Type Directors Club<\/a> (@typedirectors<\/a>).<\/p>\n

<\/a>Thursday: Type & Design Education Forum<\/a>, 24 August 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n

Constanza Pacher<\/a>\u00a0talked about\u00a0The Role of Experimentation in Teaching and Learning Typography, <\/em>sharing some of the\u00a0student typography projects that explored \u201cnon-linear representations of the text with the goal of enriching the reading.\u201d Future plans include incorporating more language and linguistics into the Typography II class of MacEwan University\u2019s Design Studies program<\/a>\u00a0(@MacEwanU<\/a>).<\/p>\n

In\u00a0Flexing Rather Than Finding Your Typographic Muscle<\/em>,\u00a0Aoife Mooney<\/a>\u00a0(@aoifemooney<\/a>), the North America coordinator for\u00a0International Society of Typograhic Designers<\/a> (@ISTDworldwide<\/a>), and Jillian Coorey<\/a> (@jscoorey<\/a>), both of Kent State University<\/a>\u00a0(@VCDKent<\/a>)\u00a0talked about how they used the ISTD student assessment briefs<\/a> in their own teaching curriculum. The 2018 briefs are available now with assessment planned for 13 April 2018.\u00a0The article they both wrote on Building a global community of typographic practice<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>(on @Typographica<\/a>) is worth a read and goes into more detail.<\/p>\n

Tyler Galloway<\/a>\u00a0talked about applying Postman and Weingartner\u2019s \u201cinquiry method<\/a>\u201d (from their book Teaching as a Subversive Activity <\/em>published in 1969)\u00a0to undergraduate graphic design study. \u201cLearning by questioning, students pursue their own discovery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yoon Soo Lee<\/a>\u00a0talked about Mud Pies, Critical Thinking, and the Addiction of Aesthetics.<\/em>\u00a0\u201cA mud pie is\u00a0image making without a goal.\u00a0First rule of mud pies: postpone judgment. Second rule of mud pies: quantity is my friend. Third rule of mud pies: there are no rules. Really. There are no rules. It\u2019s a mud pie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jean Fran\u00e7ois Porchez<\/a>\u00a0(@jfporchez<\/a>)\u00a0& St\u00e9phane Elbaz<\/a>\u00a0(@stephaneelbaz<\/a>)\u00a0talked about creating TypeParis<\/a>\u00a0(@TypeParis<\/a>) in\u00a0Designing a Typeface Design Programme.<\/em> \u201cWe revisited the long tradition of type design study that started in France in the 1970s to design a summer course. The idea is to fill the gap between one year programmes and short workshops. The programme is in English and mixes traditional drawing and calligraphy techniques, type history, and modern software practices.\u201d Here\u2019s Q&A with three TypeParis 2016 attendees\u2014Andreas Nymark<\/a>\u00a0(@andreasnymark<\/a>), Jocelyn Anderson<\/a>\u00a0(@jocelynand_<\/a>) and Kenneth Ormandy<\/a>\u00a0(@kennethormandy<\/a>)\u2014asking \u201cWhat did you learn at TypeParis?<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

In Counter-space: Finding Creativity Within the Details<\/em>,\u00a0Andrea Leksen<\/a>\u00a0(@leksendesign<\/a>) talked about integrating \u201cthe important typographic details with an exploration of creativity within type\u201d\u00a0in her typography curriculum. Early on, students created an illustrative initial cap that used imagery to match the meaning of the body text. The students created some fun initial caps that helped in telling the story and would be nice to see set in books.<\/p>\n

I missed some of the talks due to good conversations with old friends. I was especially sad to miss a couple talks at the end of the day:\u00a0Meta Newhouse<\/a>\u2019s (@metanew<\/a>) presentation on\u00a0Tipo e Cinema<\/em> since it involved the Tipoteca Italiana Museum<\/a>\u00a0(@Tipoteca<\/a>) archives that I hope to explore, someday; and, Carolina de Bartolo<\/a>\u2019s (@carodebartolo<\/a>) talk on the redesign of the second edition of Explorations in Typography<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"TypeCon <\/a>Thursday: Keynote with Martina Flor!<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s always fun to hear\u00a0Martina Flor<\/a>\u00a0(@martinaflor<\/a>) speak. Great to have her opening the conference showing some of the projects she created\u2014e.g., postcards as marketing,\u00a0Lettering vs. Calligraphy<\/a>, and The Golden Secrets of Lettering<\/em><\/a>\u00a0book (available in German, Spanish, and English with French on the way)\u2014and commissioned projects such as Spanish publishing house Austral<\/a>\u2019s (@Austral_ed<\/a>)\u00a0Alice in Wonderland<\/em><\/a>. There were also samples of her lovely\u00a0ampersand pins<\/a>\u00a0in the SOTA store.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Friday, 25 August 2017: Conference starts<\/a><\/strong> \"TypeCon<\/a><\/p>\n

Bruce Kennett<\/a> (@WADwiggins<\/a>) gave some insight into William Addison Dwiggins in his talk W. A. Dwiggins, Hermann P\u00fcterschein, and the Fictional Society of Calligraphers<\/em>. His book W. A. Dwiggins: A Life in Design<\/em><\/a>, published by the Letterform Archive<\/a>, looks to be fabulous. I saw some of the proofs during a visit. This is the first of books the\u00a0Archive<\/a>\u00a0will be publishing. There are already a couple of other wonderful books in the pipeline that you will want to have in your library.<\/p>\n

NOTE:<\/strong> The Dwiggins Publication Party<\/a> reception is on Friday, 23 March 2018,<\/strong> 6:30\u20138:30pm at the Letterform Archive<\/a> (@Lett_Arc<\/a>)<\/p>\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/ninastoessinger\/status\/901079403903557637<\/a>\n

Tucker McLachlan<\/a> (@tuckermclachlan<\/a>) talked about \u201cdesign histories we might prefer not to tell, when typographic practices have served the aims of white supremacy, colonization and genocide. From slave passes and police uniforms to royal charters and reservation boundaries, design and dispossession remain forcefully intertwined.\u201d in\u00a0Typography Ghost Stories<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"TypeConPetra\u00a0Do\u010dekalov\u00e1<\/a> (@docekalovapetra<\/a>) explored sign painting in New Lettering Forms<\/em> and has attempted to \u201cbreathe some life into the field\u201d in the Czech Republic.<\/p>\n

\"TypeCon<\/a>Catherine Leigh Schmidt<\/a> (@cathschmidt<\/a>) continued on the topic of sign painting with a focus on Devanagari in\u00a0Yatra: A Journey in Painted Signs,<\/em> showing the journey taken to design Yatra, \u201ca display Devanagari and Latin typeface inspired by the hand-lettering styles of the Mumbai local rail.\u201d Read about The Story of Yatra<\/em><\/a>\u00a0in TYPE magazine<\/a>\u00a0(@TYPEmag_org<\/a>) issue 1 and see the Yatra One typeface<\/a> on Google Fonts (@googlefonts<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Catherine also recommended the 33-minute documentary Horn Please<\/em><\/a>\u00a0on the truck art of India and mentioned the Hand Painted Type<\/a> project to document and digitize the work of sign painters around India. I also wrote down a note that she would like to talk with tech folk about curved Devanagari, but I did not have a chance to talk with her about it.<\/p>\n

\"TypeCon<\/a>In EXTRA! EXTRA!,<\/em> David Jonathan Ross<\/a> (@djrrb<\/a>) explored what happens when letterforms are pushed to extremes, showing historical and contemporary examples, ending with the design of his typeface Fit<\/a>, \u201cdesigned expressly to fill space with panache.\u201d In early 2018, in collaboration with Oded Ezer<\/a>\u00a0(@OdedEzer<\/a>), David released Fit Hebrew<\/a>. Thanks for the shout out for my 1403 Vintage Mono<\/a> typeface. One of the aspects of my in-progress Filmotype Gemini typeface revival is adding alternates to fit letters together.<\/p>\n

Scott Boms<\/a> (@scottboms<\/a>) explored the Risograph<\/a> and its use at Facebook\u2019s Analog Research Lab<\/a>\u00a0(@analoglab<\/a>) in Imperfection Machines: Low Res in a High Res World<\/em>, showing how the rising popularity of this obsolete device is bringing \u201ccreative expressions of typography and design to new audiences.\u201d They hold classes each week on the Risograph. An eraser can be used to get rid of track marks.<\/p>\n

In Dr. Strangefont or: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Make Chromatic Type<\/em>, Geri McCormick<\/a> & James Grieshaber<\/a>\u00a0(@typeco<\/a>) talked about the process of learning to make chromic wood type along with showing a brief history and the process used to make new wood type, today, at Virgin Wood Type<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In Cultivating Creative Communities<\/em>, Rachel Elnar<\/a> of TypeEd<\/a> (@TypeEd<\/a>) talked about building community around type and design, along with the \u201cchallenges of developing in-person events in a sprawling city\u201d such as Los Angeles, California, USA. Rachel has also helped organize the TypeThursday<\/a> events in Los Angeles (@TypeThursdayLA<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\"TypeCon<\/a>The 2017 SOTA Catalyst Award<\/a> was presented to Ramakrishna Saiteja<\/a> (@rama_kst<\/a>). I had some good conversations with Rama over the couple days prior to the award presentation.<\/p>\n

I ended up staying a bit later at the SOTA Spacebar social gathering which meant missing the screening of the film Graphic Means: A History of Graphic Design Production<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>(@graphic_means<\/a>). Since I helped fund the project, I have a copy of the film at home. There are a couple screenings<\/a> in San Francisco, California at the end of March 2018. Expected availability to purchase<\/a> is in May 2018. Many good conversations happened on the rooftop. Andrea Leksen<\/a>\u00a0(@leksendesign<\/a>) and I even danced a bit of tango fusion mix.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Saturday, 26 August 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n

In\u00a0Thinking and Practicing Chinese Type Design on Screen,\u00a0<\/em>Qui Yin<\/a> & Ming Wei<\/a> of FounderType<\/a>\u00a0(@FounderType<\/a>) talked about how Chinese type design has been changing with the advent of high resolution displays. FounderType also recently published a book on Chinese typefaces,\u00a0\u4e2d\u6587\u5b57\u4f53\u5e94\u7528\u624b\u518c published by \u5e7f\u897f\u5e08\u8303\u5927\u5b66\u51fa\u7248\u793e. \u65b9\u6b63\u5b57\u5e93(1986-2017) Foundertype. My copy arrived<\/a> in February 2018.<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Jeff Kellem (@composerjk)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>