May 27–30, 2026
Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
ATypI 2026 Stanford marks a return to Stanford University, a site central to the history of digital typography and computer science. Four decades on from ATypI’s landmark 1983 Working Seminar The Computer and the Hand in Type Design, the global type community gathers again to reflect on typography’s past and to confront the unfinished work of designing more inclusive digital futures.
Situated at the intersection of culture, technology, and society, ATypI 2026 Stanford brings together designers, researchers, educators, technologists, and industry leaders for four days of talks, panels, workshops, and shared inquiry.
Speakers
A curated selection of international speakers across design, technology, research, and education.
Early tickets are on sale now
ATypI Members and Students are eligible for discounted tickets. Students must provide evidence of their affiliation with an educational institution. Confirmed speakers receive a special Speaker ticket link.
Why Attend
ATypI 2026 Stanford is designed for those shaping how writing systems function in a digital world. You’ll encounter:
- Interdisciplinary perspectives across typography, computer science, humanities, and design
- Global and multilingual approaches to type and technology
- Conversations that connect historical foundations with emerging tools and platforms
- Opportunities for exchange with peers across academia, industry, and independent practice
The Stanford setting provides a rare environment for sustained, thoughtful engagement beyond the typical conference format.
Beyond the campus, you are in the heart of Silicon Valley — within reach of the companies, studios, archives, and research labs that have shaped contemporary digital culture. From the design communities of San Francisco to the engineering culture of the Valley, ATypI 2026 offers not only a conference, but proximity to the ecosystems where today’s tools, platforms, and typographic infrastructures are being built.
Whether your interest lies in advanced font technology, AI-driven systems, global script development, or the cultural histories that inform them, there is no more relevant place to continue the conversation.
Program Overview
The program is structured around the theme Homescreen: Design for Belonging, exploring how typographic systems shape access, identity, and participation in the digital age.
Homescreen celebrates a historic homecoming for the global type community — to the San Francisco Bay Area, and to Stanford University, site of the landmark 1983 Working Seminar that redefined the future of digital typography. At the same time, Homescreen references the long and unfinished journey of creating a truly global and grounded digital age, an age marked at present by velocity and disorientation, possibility and uncertainty, where homescreens feel like “home” for only a remarkably small number of the world’s language communities. Four decades after the visionary Stanford event, Homescreen honors this legacy while confronting the unfinished work of designing a digital age where we all belong. Subthemes are:
- Start Screen – Rethinking type education, research, outreach, and access.
- Touch Screen – Exploring craft, gesture, and materiality in the digital type world.
- Split Screen – Type across global scripts in a fragmented digital landscape.
- Blank Screen – Who gets left out of the mainstream — and what we overlook.
- Silver Screen – The shifting business of type design in an evolving media economy.
- Green Screen – How type can contribute to a sustainable and ethical digital future.
- Full Screen – Typography in the age of VR, AR, and ubiquitous computing.
Sessions include keynotes, panels, workshops, and moderated conversations.
Schedule at a Glance
May 27 — Workshops & Tours
May 28 — Conference Sessions, Panels & Workshops
May 29 — Conference Sessions
May 30 — Conference Sessions
Orientation
Stanford University is situated in the heart of Silicon Valley, within the wider San Francisco Bay Area, California. Adjacent to Palo Alto, it is around 30 miles from central San Francisco. International visitors typically arrive at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), which is around 35 minutes by car from Stanford (around 1h 15m by public transport). Other airports nearby are Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK) and San Jose International Airport (SJC).
Accommodation
The official conference hotel is the Crowne Plaza Palo Alto. We expect to arrange a special conference rate in mid-February.
There are numerous other options, including staying in San Francisco itself, and plentiful AirBnB which are ideal for groups. Please see our Accommodation page with suggestions for all budgets.
Partners & Sponsors
ATypI 2026 Stanford is supported by academic, cultural, and industry partners who share a commitment to advancing typography and design research. We invite academic institutions, cultural organizations, and industry leaders to join us in advancing global typographic dialogue. Partner announcements forthcoming.
Stay updated
Join us as a Member or create a Free Account to receive updates about speakers, program highlights, and other important information about ATypI 2026 Stanford and our other upcoming conferences.