»Look at the eyes, check the shoulder, how about the arm!« What you are reading are not comments about Angelina and Brad’s photos. This is what the judges have to say during the Typeface Design Competitions at the Type Directors Club. Year after year a magnificent display of new letterforms are being judged to achieve typographic excellence.

In the spring of 1943 a bunch of people specifying type, most of them art directors and production men, got together for an informal lunch. They decided to give their job a distinctive name, they came up with »type directors«. Three years later that lunch gave birth to the Type Directors Club.

»…heap praise upon the Type Directors Club for the responsive and responsible role it has played in making typography the 20th century’s newest art form or, at the very least, a highly esoteric craft« (Herb Lubalin, 1984 TDC medal).
Now that statement got extended to the 21st century. Today typography is at a Golden Age. With the advent of technology, everybody is being able to explore the art of the letterform. Kids digest the fonts menus to write their essays while professionals drool over the 2650 average glyphs a font might offer.

I’ve been associated with the Type Directors Club for the past 25 years. And I’ve been blessed by witnessing the Club’s competitions for the past 10. I will share my experience with you.

The 65 years young Type Directors Club’s show is coming to Drupa. If you have never been exposed to great typography come and take a look. Get a visual taste of the beautiful/sensuous letterform. From now on you’ll look at type in a different way…the spine, the crossbar, the bowl…because »Type is sexy and I know it.«