Typography education sits in a delicate balance between teaching historical precedent and contemporary practices while anticipating the potential futures of the discipline. Over the past twenty years, many typography curriculums have evolved to incorporate web fonts, interaction design, and animation. A new crop of prototyping tools, such as Figma, Webflow, and ReadyMag, offer more typographic control for interactive environments without coding. At the same time, there is more need for product managers, developers, and engineers to understand basic typography concepts.
This presentation will examine some of the following questions: As new technologies, approaches, and platforms continue to arise, how do educators and students respond? How is typography taught in more technical programs such as computer science, information technology, and web development courses? How are new and emerging technologies such as variable fonts, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence incorporated into typography curricula? How are world scripts included in discussions of typographic history and technology? How do more practical concerns, such as font licensing, educational software subscription models, and online learning environments, impact typography education? When new topics are introduced into typography curriculums, what is left out?
Questions and contributions from audience members will be encouraged. Understanding how typography education is evolving can benefit those working in type tech fields as well; eventually, students will become your colleagues, customers, and clients.