Behind every [typeface or thing*] there's a story

Fresh back from TypeCon 2006 in Boston, MA (USA): it's the place to hear the stories behind your favorite typeface. Check out the blog and flickr site (1,243 photos) if you're interested.

Major themes in retrospect: type as image(1), combining type and image(2), type in education(3), and some really geeky stuff(4) thrown in to round out the weekend. Please refer to this paragraph as your legend.

Kit Hinrichs of Pentagram opened the sessions on Friday morning, showing slides from the Pentagram archives of Type as Art(1). Many of the examples have been shown in books and exhibitions, but it's always refreshing to hear the stories behind them from a master designer.

Unfortunately Robin Williams couldn't attend due to the state of airline travel, but plenty of copies of her new book, Sweet Swan of Avon were available.

Nick Benson of The John Stevens Shop detailed his involvement in the stone carving on the new World War II memorial.

Friday included some very interesting and engaging speakers, but the beautiful weather encouraged some exploration of the city. Nancy Skolos and Tom Wedell(2) followed some well-received 20-minute type-related presentations, and Font Embedding and the web(4).

Two major figures of 20th (and the present century) type design were highlighted: W.A. Dwiggins and Adrian Frutiger.

the last presentation I was able to attend was by Mark Jamra of TypeCulture.(3) Mark's presentation reminded me of how accidents and experimentation are critical to finding new shapes and forms in every aspect of design work.

For the type-obsessed, whether a lover of type, user of type or creator of type, TypeCon is a must to attend. See you next year in Seattle!

*Tyepfaces are things, not pictures of things

Tags: Design, Type, , Typography