Speaker Xunchang Cheng

Dr Xunchang Cheng is a multilingual typeface designer, researcher, documentary director, and exhibition curator. He is a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Typography & Graphic Communication at the University of Reading.
His research explores the history, theory, and practice of Chinese typeface design, from early printing to the digital era. His current British Academy project investigates how mechanical movable type, phototypesetting, and digital fonts transformed Chinese typography from the 1940s to the 1990s.

Cheng is a Visiting Research Fellow and a member of the Management Board of the Centre for Book Cultures and Publishing (CBCP). He also serves as Secretary of the Association Typographique Internationale (ATypI). He has served as a judge for the 2025 D&AD Awards and the 2023 Type Directors Club Type Design Competition, and as a Chinese script specialist for the Granshan Competition 2023/24.