We're so back.
Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality. Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see—tiptoptypetips back in your inbox!
A lot has transpired in the world of typography since we last hung out—
Monotype’s basically acquired all the foundries— first, it was Hoefler&Co, then Colophon and most recently, Sharp Type. No one likes a big corporate shark (no shade, MT) eating up all the tiny, talented foundry fish, but a big-fat congratulations to all the owners, designers and staff at these incredible foundries for their big breaks! Hope they continue to get to do what they love while somebody else worries about how they’re sold.
Not so much typography, but there’s also just SO MUCH AI now? I’m not sure why I bother to write this myself, with my human hands keyboard using my human brain Pi and Midjourney.
Speaking of, why is GenAI so bad at typography? We have to acknowledge how quickly and badly this could age, so why is GenAI so bad at typography, circa May 2024?
On a more personal note, I have my own typeface now! whaaaaa!?
It’s called Panem. It’s far from being good enough to be more than a series of posters I can get excited about, but here it is. I designed Panem as part of Type@Cooper—an intensive 5-week type design program I attended last year at Cooper Union, New York.
Before the program, I had a ton of questions about what to expect, how to apply, if there were other such programs, how do they each compare, and such (A special s/o to Namrata and Kalapi for their guidance). And now that I’ve done some research and also, attended a type design program myself, it would only be fair that I pass along my tip-top type tips. Aha!
And finally, I’ve made so many new type friends—some veterans, others new on the block, but exceptional at drawing ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ for work! So, I’m excited to speak with them, learn about their work and share their anecdotes with all of you.
So, for the next few weeks, we’re doing tiptoptuesdays—a new issue, every Tuesday and here’s what you can expect—
AI x type—besties or bust?
Type design for dummies—what, where, how?
Type designers—who are these mysterious creatures?
And as always—new fonts, foundries and fun(?)
I’m really excited to be back, writing tiptoptypetips. And going by many of your complaints when I wasn’t, you better be too. But seriously, thank you for your support and love for tttt 💌
Do let me know what you’re excited to read about in our upcoming issues. You can reply to this email, or comment below! 👇
And if you feel so inclined, please follow tiptoptypetips on Twitter, and tell your friends—we’re so back.
See you next week!
🌈 Sneha.
I love the idea of more tips + thoughts on type design education! Last year, I did a course on Type Electives and then applied to both Type@Cooper and TypeParis. It's difficult to understand which program might make more sense for me, without finding a ton of information about how the experiences compare. I ended up attending TypeParis, because I never studied abroad before. If you'd like to talk and compare notes, I'm happy to chat! :)