Mário Feliciano
Type designer
In late 1993 I made my first attempt to design a typeface. My first 'type design', Handtwo - as the name indicates - was designed by hand, and only then digitized to Fontographer. There isn't much to say about this design, except that it shows that I didn't understand much about type. But the feeling of making a font on my own and using it in print was something that really fascinated me since the first time.
I decided to become a type designer and, in 1997, the definitive step was to join the ATypI and participate in its congress in Reading where I became the Portuguese delegate for the Association. This was the point of turn in my career as a type designer, for the first time in my life I'd spoken with another type designer (Peter Matthias Noordjiz) and I was able to meet and discuss with many other colleagues. The collaboration of other type designers that I meet through the Internet – thanks to the AtypI – (you know who you are) was crucial to my evolution as a type designer. In one year my perspective of typography changed radically. Since than I tried to participate as much as I could in all ATypI activities as a vital matter for my work as a type designer and a typographer.
My interest in type History leaded me into a sort of design-reclusion, I 'd read a lot of books on the subject, I spent I lot of money on books and type specimens, my goal was not to design types for any specific use, but rather to investigate. I deeply studied the roman alphabet and type history. Trying to find what makes a 'good' typeface. Understanding why some types work better than others when used in the Portuguese language. All this investigation was supported with an intense activity of type design, information and book design.
In 1998 I repeated my presence at the ATypI congress, in Lyon. Once again the exchange of experiences was very important to my work, I was able to briefly discuss my designs with people like Matthew Carter and Gerard Unger.
In 1999 I become the Portuguese and Spanish agent for The Enschedé Font Foundry (coincidences...). Unfortunately, I missed Boston, Leipzig, and Copenhagen.
In the meanwhile, back in 1997, I released my first typefaces on the Chicago Foundry T26, and two years later Adobe published my 'Strumpf(tm)', a funny display design. Since than, I've designed a couple of custom types, and published none.
Finally, in 2002, I started to distribute some of my designs under the name: Feliciano Type Foundry. Ten original designs that are available on the internet exclusively through MyFonts.com. You can also contact me directly at ftfinfo@secretonix.pt.
My last project was done in collaboration with the Lisbon architecture studio Promontério Arquitectos, and was to design a type to 'cover' a shopping center as a big billboard. The building is there, as one of biggest type specimens that I have ever seen! I meanwhile I keep working in some 'old' projects to be released soon.