Type Directors Club

Creativity as Advocacy | Women’s History Month
2025-03-05 13:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Zoom
March is Women’s History Month and we invite you to join us virtually on Wednesday, March 5, for Creativity as Advocacy | Her Stories, Her Impact.
Our guests that day will include Alanna Flowers, Freelance Lettering Artist & Designer; Isabel Martinez Mancebo, Freelance Copywriter/ CD; and Mimi Muños, Global Creative Producer at Wieden + Kennedy. The conversation will be moderated by Neisha Tweed Bell; Creative consultant, inclusion specialist and member of The One Club's of Next Creative Leaders.
Registration for this event is free, and while you’re signing up, we encourage you to check out our panelists’ profiles; it’s a fantastic way to get a sneak peek at some of the work they’ll be discussing next week.
CREATIVITY AS ADVOCACY | HER STORIES, HER IMPACT
WEDNESDAY, MAR 5 @ 1 PM ET
VIRTUAL, INFO + REGISTRATION HERE

TDC71 Exhibition & Winners Ceremony
2025-05-13 19:00 - 21:00 | The One Club, 450 W 31st St, Floor 6, New York, NY, 10001, United States
TDC71 at Creative Week 2025 – Recap
Creative Week 2025 rolled out the red carpet for four acclaimed award shows celebrating the best in global creativity. Among them, the Type Directors Club’s 71st Annual Exhibition spotlighted typographic excellence through its TDC71 Winners Showcase, held at The One Club for Creativity in New York.
The TDC71 exhibition featured 170 winning entries across Communication Design, Type Design, and Lettering, selected from 26 countries. Each category celebrated a Best of Discipline winner:

Best of Communication Design: New York City FC Branding – Gretel with Frere-Jones Type

Best of Type Design: Naatak – Ek Type

Best of Lettering: Stanford d.School Yearbook 2023 – Daniel Frumhoff Design

In addition to category winners, the jury selected standout projects as their personal Judges’ Choice honorees. These were presented by:

Min Lew (Communication Design)

Charles Nix on behalf of Sahar Afshar (Type Design)

David Jon Walker (Lettering)

Each Judges’ Choice highlighted work of exceptional craft, innovation, or cultural relevance. The full list of honorees was featured in the show and will appear in Typography 46: The World’s Best Typography®
All winning work will travel globally in eight international exhibitions and be permanently archived in the TDC annual.
Thank you to all who joined us to celebrate the world’s best typography.

TDC71 Exhibition at Fordham University
2025-09-11 - 2025-10-07 | ildiko Butler gallery, Fordham University, Lincoln Center 113 West 60th Street, New York, NY, 10023, United States
If you missed the annual TDC Winners Exhibition this year … you’re in luck! The Type Directors Club’s 71st Annual Exhibition—a global showcase of typographic excellence—makes a special three week appearance at Fordham University, NYC (Columbus Circle campus.) The exhibit showcases a dazzling array of The World’s Best Typography from the last year.
TDC71 continues this legacy, recognizing outstanding work across communication design, type design, and lettering. The exhibition of this year’s winners represents the full spectrum of what typography can do—from expressive editorial layouts to experimental letterforms and cutting-edge variable fonts. Hand-selected by our esteemed Discipline Chairs and jurors, these projects were chosen for their aesthetic strength and contribution to shaping the future of type.
With entries submitted from over 60 countries and writing systems, TDC71 exemplifies the global nature of our discipline. The winning work includes emerging voices and renowned leaders, spanning studios, independent designers, and type foundries.
We’re committed to nurturing the next generation of designers and broadening what’s possible with type. If you’re inspired by what you see here, we invite you to enter the next TDC competition, TDC72. Each submission supports our broader mission — celebrating typographic excellence, building community, and pushing the discipline forward.
There will be a special reception on October 2, please join us!

SCHEDULE
September 11 – October 7, 2025
Open daily 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
See website for additional information

LOCATION
Ildiko Butler Gallery
Fordham University Lincoln Center
113 West 60th Street,
New York, NY 10023

Fresh Dialogue: TDC, AIGA NY, D&AD Community Event
2025-09-24 19:30 - 20:30 | Museum of Art and Design (MAD), 2 Columbus Circle, New York, NY, 10019, United States
Something pretty special is happening. Three major design organizations are joining forces for the first time, for a conversation led by you – our community.
Kwame, Jolene, Sarah, and Archie aren’t here to give you the polished conference speak. They want to dig into what’s actually happening in design right now and where we’re all headed.
This is about what you’re experiencing, what you’re seeing, and a dialogue about the biggest challenges and opportunities impacting our industry.
Fresh Dialogue Event Series
These events are critical discussions that focus on current events, issues of cultural relevance, and emerging topics in the world of design.
Community Engagement
Send us your questions ahead of time. The real ones that come from actually doing this work. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been at this for decades, whether you’re freelancing or leading teams, your perspective shapes our industry’s future.
This is your chance to drive the conversation that our community needs. Because when three organizations that have shaped design for decades decide to have a real conversation, you don’t want to miss it.
Speakers
Jolene Delisle (The Working Assembly / TDC Advisory Board Member)
Jolene is the Founder and Creative Director of The Working Assembly. Her design work has been recognized by Print, D&AD, Dieline, The One Show, and Fast Company. She has been named to the Forbes Next 1000 entrepreneur list and Adweek Creative 100, honoring the most innovative and inspiring individuals. Jolene is passionate about bridging the gap in creativity and tech by investing, advising, and prioritizing founder diversity. In 2022, Jolene became the owner of a 1950s ice cream shop in Stone Ridge, New York, called Cherries. She also serves on the TDC Advisory Board.

Kwame Taylor-Hayford (D&AD)
Kwame is a creative executive and entrepreneur with a career spanning advertising, fashion, and philanthropy.
He co-founded Kin, a creative company that drives positive change in business and culture for clients such as Intuit, Mailchimp, Delta Air Lines, Uber, Ben & Jerry’s, and the Obama Foundation, to name a few. Kin was named AdAge’s Purpose-Led Agency of the Year, Silver, in 2022.
Kwame’s work has garnered recognition from industry organizations, including The Emmys, D&AD, One Show, ADC, LIA, Andys, Clios, Shots, and Cannes. For his achievements, Kwame was included in Adweek’s Creative 100 list in 2022, Ad Age’s 40 Under 40 list in 2020, Crain’s New York’s list of Notable Black Leaders in 2021, and was inducted into the American Advertising Federation’s Hall of Achievement in 2019.
Kwame is currently serving as President of D&AD, the globally renowned nonprofit that represents the pinnacle of creative excellence. He is also on the board of directors for SATURDAY MORNING, a nonprofit he co-founded in 2016 to shift perceptions of racial bias and injustice.

Sarah Williams (AIGA NY)
Sarah is the Co-CEO and Creative Leader for Beardwood&Co, an independent, woman and queer-owned branding agency based in New York City, illuminating possibilities to amplify brand growth. With a focus on big, creative ideas made to thrive in the real world, Sarah and team partner with clients to achieve brilliant outcomes, without the egos or silos often found in the agency world. She has led creative for global brands including Westin, Pottery Barn, Danone, Hello Products, and the nation’s largest affordable housing non-profit, Enterprise Community Partners.
In addition to leading Beardwood&Co, Sarah serves as the President of AIGA NY, where she has served on the volunteer board for 3+ years, supporting the mission of “Championing the Future of Design for All” through organizing and hosting community-based events. She is a Mom, loves to run, and trek in the woods as much as the streets of NYC for inspiration.

Moderator - Archie Bell, II
Archie spent much of his youth memorizing commercial jingles and replicating the sharp wit of cartoonist Gary Larson. Since then, his creative compass has been shaped by other visionaries who have mastered the art of weaving meaning into simple, yet magnificent stories – including the likes of Romare Bearden, Faith Ringgold, Ed Ruscha, Kara Walker, Barbara Kruger, Emory Douglas, George Lois, Saul Bass, and Aaron Douglas.
Archie launched his career in 1999 on Madison Avenue at Y&R, designing and art directing award-winning campaigns for the industry’s most iconic brands. After a decade in advertising across various agencies, he shifted into media with the ambition to expand the creative boundaries of digital storytelling. In the years that followed, he led powerhouse teams and helped establish a few of the industry’s most forward-thinking content studios – including NBCUniversal’s Content Innovation Agency, One X Studios, and later Spotify, where he served as Global Head of Creative.
Today, Archie is the Ford Foundation’s Creative Director, where he and his team continue to shape narratives rooted in cultural nuance, creativity, and social impact. Beyond his professional role, he contributes his expertise as a board member of BLAC (Building Leaders and Creators) and as an Emeritus board member of AIGA NY. Across each of his roles, he has consistently championed best-in-culture work that inspires, impacts, connects, and moves audiences worldwide.
Still a fan of remarkable stories told simply, he remains dedicated to crafting and supporting work that unexpectedly illuminates truth, sparks meaningful dialogue, and honors the beauty within. When he’s not doing any of those things, you can find him at home in Brooklyn, art directing his kids’ shenanigans.

TDC72 Early Bird Entry Deadline
2025-10-03 08:00 - 17:00

MAKE IT: Building a Business Around Your Creative Skill + Live Mentorship
2025-10-23 18:30 - 20:30 | The One Club, 450 W 31st St, Floor 6, New York, NY, 10001, United States
International lettering artist and author Martina Flor comes to New York to present her new book, MAKE IT: Turn Your Creative Skill into a Business and Thrive Doing What You Love, in a special event hosted by the Type Directors Club.
In conversation with Matteo Bologna, creative director of Mucca and chairman emeritus of TDC, Martina will dive into the real story behind making it as a creative—based on her own experience and the lessons she’s gathered from mentoring hundreds of designers and illustrators building careers in lettering design.
Whether you're a seasoned designer, illustrator, or emerging lettering artist, you’ll leave with fresh perspectives and actionable strategies on:

Evolving from amateur to professional lettering designer
Building a portfolio that opens doors
Communicating and pricing your creative work with confidence
Managing mindset, money, and momentum
Finding the right creative community to grow with

PLUS: Live Mini Mentorship Session
To close the evening, Martina will host a live mentoring session—offering hands-on advice and personalized feedback for those navigating the challenges of creative work.
This is a one-time opportunity to meet Martina during her U.S. visit and connect with fellow creatives passionate about letter design.
RSVP – Space is limited

Grafis Nusantara: Indonesian Graphic Pop Culture (Zoom)
2025-11-20 11:00 - 12:30 | Zoom
Indonesia is lavished with vernacular wealth — reflected in visuals that exist within the daily lives of its people. From the packages purchased in supermarkets, colourful posters and leaflets wheat-pasted on electric poles, to the old shop signs scattered on every street corner.
Yet, the opulence of these Indonesian-styled graphics is sometimes overlooked, forgotten, or underestimated because of assumptions that they’re low-brow or kitschy.
For this special event, Grafis Nusantara's Rakhmat Jaka (Creative Director) and Claudia Novreica (Researcher) will discuss Indonesian graphic culture and the process behind the beautifully crafted books they’ve produced to showcase this rich visual archive.

Title of event
2025-11-22 14:30 - 17:00 | Zoom
Description of event

TDC Meet-Up with David Jon Walker
2026-01-22 18:00 - 21:00 | The One Club, 450 W 31st St, Floor 6, New York, NY, 10001, United States
Designer, Educator, Lettering Artist, and TDC Board member David Jon Walker hosts a low-key evening of critique and discussion (crits are for TDC members only; sign up via Google Form. Join TDC to access the form).
The evening includes special guests and the premiere of the new TDC71 Competition Annual, designed and published by Slanted Publishers. Come help us celebrate the release, possibly get some peer review of your latest project, nosh on cheese sticks, and enjoy basking in the warm glow of type nerdery.
THIS EVENT IS FREE FOR MEMBERS. PLEASE REACH OUT TO tdc@oneclub.org IF YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED YOUR CODE.

TDC Creative Reviews w/ David Jon Walker, M.F.A
2026-01-22 18:30 - 21:30 | The One Club, 450 W 31st St, Floor 6, New York, NY, 10001, United States
A night of socializing and informal project critiques for TDC members past, present, and future (all are welcome). Designer, Educator, Lettering Artist, and TDC Board member David Jon Walker hosts a low-key evening of critique and discussion (crits are for TDC members only; sign up via Google Form. Join TDC to access the form).
Come help us celebrate the release, possibly get some peer review of your latest project, nosh on cheese sticks, and enjoy basking in the warm glow of type nerdery.

TDC Conference: Type Drives Commerce 2026
2026-03-13 | Fordham University at Lincoln Center, 113 W 60th St, New York, NY, 113 W 60th St, New York, NY 10023, United States
Announcing our next installment Type Drives Culture conference series: Type Drives Commerce, exploring the practical insights on how typography impacts business results.
Taking place on March 13, 2026 at Fordham University at Lincoln Center, 113 W 60th St. in New York, Type Drives Commerce is an event rooted in practical insights, spotlighting real-world case studies that demonstrate how typography fuels communication, differentiation, and measurable business results.
The focused gathering – our first in-person Type Drives Culture conference in six years after a series of virtual events – is intended for professional designers, in-house creative leaders, and brand decision-makers, in an intimate environment with a capacity of 350 attendees. The day includes speaker talks and networking opportunities, followed by an afterparty and marketplace. Ticketing and information is available here.
The genda includes presentations from industry leaders, case studies showing type’s impact on brands, and new voices and point of views paired together for one-of-a-kind conversation.

Designing Zohran for New York City Hosted by Elizabeth Carey Smith
2026-05-11 15:00 - 17:00 | Location05, 450 West 31st Street Floor 7, New York, NY, 10001
The campaign for Zohran Mamdani’s successful NYC mayoral campaign grabbed attention and enthusiastic support that reached far beyond the city’s voters.
As a creative director at Forge, Aneesh Bhoopathy led design for the “Zohran for New York City” campaign. Drawing on this work and past experience with DSA and progressive campaigns, Bhoopathy shares how designers can create systems that strengthen movements and meet practical organizing needs. Together with type designer Matthew Hinders-Anderson, he will explore how typography served this campaign and helped create a fresh visual language for left politics in New York.
The event will be hosted by former TDC President, Elizabeth Carey Smith. ECS is a typographer and brand design leader in New York City. For more than two decades, she has served clients across a range of industries including fashion, the arts, tech, and social justice. Elizabeth is committed to gender parity in graphic design, honest dialogue, and broad recognition of typographic excellence.
Monday, May 11
Doors: 3PM
Discussion: 3:30PM - 4:30PM
Q&A: 4:30PM - 5PM
VENUE:
Location05
450 W 31st St
7th Floor
New York, NY 10001
MAP
PACKAGE TICKETS & DISCOUNTS:
Members of The One Club for Creativity and TDC are eligible for discounts across Creative Week. You can login to your account at oneclub.org to reveal discounts.
CREATIVE WEEK: Designing Zohran for New York City is part of Creative Week 2026 — a weeklong celebration of global creativity bringing together students, educators, and professionals through award shows, daily programming, portfolio reviews, an executive conference, and more.

2026 TDC Lettering Walk
2026-05-14 13:00 - 16:00
Paul Shaw has been leading urban lettering walks since 2005. Along with over 50 walks covering all five boroughs of New York, he has also led walks in 13 other North American cities. Paul teaches the history of type at both the School of Visual arts and Parsons School of Design. With Patricia Childers, he organizes the bi-annual Legacy of Letters tour and letterpress workshop in Italy.
New York is an endlessly fascinating city to walk around and explore, especially if you love lettering and signage. And especially if you have a knowledgeable guide to point it all out! That’s why we are happy to once again bring back a popular aspect of previous Creative Weeks: the TDC Lettering Walk, courtesy of the Type Directors Club.
Our neighborhood, 'Hell's Kitchen,' in the Forties, between 11th Avenue and the North River, was terrorized by the Gophers, Smoky Row, and other gangs who were always getting into trouble. Our gang, and there were lots more like us, would go out on raids through the neighborhood and steal anything we could move; afterwards we would meet in some cellar or back-yard, eat whatever we could swallow, sell everything else to the junk man and then shoot crap for the money. It was a great life while it lasted." That was life in Hell's Kitchen in 1925. Since the 1990s the neighborhood, now also known as Clinton, has been gentrified and the gangs are long gone. So too are the crap games. But much of the architecture remains along with its lettering. Join design historian Paul Shaw on a walk to see the surviving lettering of Hell's Kitchen, a neighborhood on the west side of midtown Manhattan.
Join us on Thursday, May 14 as Paul Shaw leads a TDC TYPE WALK of Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen Neighborhood
Starting Location: 8th Avenue & 42nd Street, NW corner
Starting Time: 1:00 PM
NOTE: Tickets are non-refundable, but can be transferred in the event of any changes.
PACKAGE TICKETS & DISCOUNTS:
Members of The One Club for Creativity and TDC are eligible for discounts across Creative Week. You can login to your account at oneclub.org to reveal discounts.
CREATIVE WEEK: Designing Zohran for New York City is part of Creative Week 2026 — a weeklong celebration of global creativity bringing together students, educators, and professionals through award shows, daily programming, portfolio reviews, an executive conference, and more.

Walk Like an Egyptienne
2026-06-04 18:30 - 20:00 | The One Club, 450 W 31st St, Floor 6, New York, NY, 10001, United States
New York magazine’s signature display type has been part of its visual DNA since Milton Glaser first chose Photo-Lettering’s interpretation of Egyptienne Bold Condensed in the 1960s. XYZ Type recently created a new, more versatile variable typeface tailored to the magazine’s entire ecosystem, addressing longstanding design challenges.
Ian Adelman, chief experience officer of Vox Media, and Thomas Alberty, design director of New York, will share the client perspective on this process, in counterpoint with the lead designer of the new typeface, Ben Kiel, partner at XYZ Type. This project provides a look into the unique ecosystem of periodical design and the process of developing a proprietary typographic solution without upsetting the strengths of a well-established brand.

Thursday, June 4
6:30 pm door / 7 pm talk
TDC Gallery
450 W 31st ST, 6th Floor

Alphabettes Book Release
2026-06-11 08:00 - 17:00 | The One Club, 450 W 31st St, Floor 6, New York, NY, 10001, United States
Come celebrate the release of Alphabettes Soup: a decade of feminist approaches to type research, design, and creative community-building.
Alphabettes Soup: Feminist Approaches to Type (Bikini Books, 2026) celebrates a decade of typographic pot-banging and community-building. Blending key articles from the Alphabettes platform with new essays, reflections, and interviews, the book challenges dominant narratives in type and seeks to inspire future decentralized design networks. A 400-page potluck type specimen, this hearty soup features work by over 250 women and gender-diverse type and design practitioners from around the world.
Join editor Amy Papaelias and contributor Elizabeth Carey Smith, along with Dyana Weissman, Victoria Rushton, Liz DeLuna, Laura Serra, and more Alphabettes Soup chefs, to celebrate the launch of the book with conversation, cake, and, of course, fun.
Image credits: Sera van de Water, courtesy of Bikini Books.

India Street Lettering: Building Missing Archives
2026-07-09 12:00 - 13:30 | Zoom
The publication of her book, India Street Lettering: A Journey Through Typographic Craft & Culture, is the perfect moment for author and type designer Pooja Saxena to reflect on her decade of documenting letterforms around her home country. What began as an attempt to replace the institutional design archives she frequented during her university years in the UK has become, over the years, an anchor of her design practice. It informs her studio projects, typographic voice, and understanding of the politics of design.
In this presentation, Pooja will trace the evolution of this project, focusing on the methodologies she developed for annotating and analysing the vast number of photographs she has amassed. She will talk about her efforts to bring conversations about typography and lettering into the Indian mainstream through this work, and the ideas she is still itching to explore.

TDC72 Awards Ceremony and Exhibition
2026-07-16 18:00 - 21:30 | Theater at The Lighthouse, 58 Kent Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11222, United States
Get ready to help us celebrate the winners of the 72nd year of the Type Directors Club’s annual competition, honoring The World’s Best Typography.
The evening includes a breathtaking exhibition of the best physical work, posters, books, and packaging, plus amazing displays of type-in-motion.
The awards show is the moment we finally reveal this year’s Best of Discipline winners and Judges' Choice selections. But more than that, we are introducing our brand new Type-High Award, a first-ever trophy in Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Find out what entrants won this new level of distinction!
Doors: 6:00pm
Ceremony: 7:00– 8:30pm
Post-reception: 8:30 pm
VENUE
Theater at The Lighthouse
58 Kent Street
Brooklyn, NY 11222
ABOUT THE VENUE
The Lighthouse is the first-ever creative campus & studio playground for the Creator Economy.
The campuses are designed to enable and empower career creators & creative professionals. promising to provide creators from all walks of life a place to call their own, a place to co-create, connect with one another, learn from each other, share their ideas and grow as founders of the businesses fueling creative culture.
