A group of experts in typography, typeface design, multi-script design, printing history, and design education will explore the past, present, and (hopefully bright) future of typeface classification. The group will cast a critical eye on the history of typeface classification, the problems and limitations surrounding existing models, the importance of categorization and taxonomy to design education and practice, and other related topics.
Panelists will also examine type classification from the perspective of font standards, and the possibilities for creating contemporary classification methods that are inclusive of the wealth of writing systems in use and emerging around the world.
Speakers include:
Sahar Afshar
Nadine Chahine
Catherine Dixon
John Hudson
Indra Kupferschmid
Manuel Sesma
Nick Sherman
Moderators include:
Jean-Baptiste Levée
Thomas Phinney
Rathna Ramanathan
Nadine Chahine is an award-winning Lebanese type designer and principal at ArabicType Ltd. She has an MA in Typeface Design from the University of Reading, UK, a PhD from Leiden University, The Netherlands, and a Master of Studies in International Relations from Cambridge University. She has received numerous awards, including two for Excellence in Type Design from the Type Directors Club (TDC) in New York in 2008 and 2011.
Chahine’s typefaces include Frutiger Arabic, Neue Helvetica Arabic, Univers Next Arabic, Palatino Arabic, and Koufiya. Her work was featured in the fifth edition of Megg’s “History of Graphic Design,” and, in 2012, she was selected by “Fast Company” as one of its 100 Most Creative People in Business. In 2016, Chahine’s work was showcased in the fourth edition of First Choice, which highlights the work of the 250 top global designers. In 2017, Chahine was selected by “Creative Review” as part of their Creative Leaders 50. In 2021, Nadine was elected to the board of the TDC.
Sahar Afshar is a type designer and researcher from Iran. Her interest in typography during her years as a student at the University of Tehran led her to the University of Reading, UK, from which she holds an MA by Research in Typography and Graphic Communication. Afshar is currently based in London, where she works as a font developer at Dalton Maag Ltd. and undertakes research as part of her PhD on the print history of the Punjab region. As a member of the Centre for Print History and Culture, Afshar also helps to manage events and publications with a focus on the printing of various writing systems of the world.
Nadine Chahine