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A year to celebrate

It might have been a chaotic year for most (perhaps it felt like 2020 round two) but for the world of type, 2021 was a year to cherish. While in-person meet-ups have yet to resume, it has been a connected and community-filled year. As you may have noticed, Type Network changed over the past 12 months, growing as both a team and an organization to meet new opportunities. We’re thankful to our customers, clients, and foundry partners for making this Type Network’s best year yet. Here are the highlights from TN’s 2021:

58 new type families

Our foundry partners released 58 new families of type in 2021! Some were big—like Kranto from ReType with 144 styles—and some were small (and sweet)—like Primot from Plau. All of them live up to our quality standards and each of them solves a unique design problem.

See the full catalog.

MVB Fonts

MVB Fonts covered the spectrum

At the start of the year, MVB Fonts (the foundry of Mark van Bronkhorst) joined TN. With 13 families ranging from lively scripts to sturdy geometric sans and everything in between, MVB Fonts immediately made an impact on the library.

See MVB Fonts.

ATF Collection

ATF Collection brought in the classics

Joining alongside MVB Fonts at the start of 2021, the ATF Collection brings Mark van Bronkhorst’s new interpretations of classic, beloved American Type Founders typefaces. From Alternate Gothic to ATF Garamond and ten others in between, the ATF Collection enhances the TN library with essential, time-tested typefaces.

See ATF Collection.

LucasFonts

LucasFonts mixed things up

Near the end of summer, LucasFonts—the foundry for Berlin-based Dutch type designer Luc(as) de Groot—joined Type Network. Best known for their superfamily Thesis, (constituent typefaces TheSans, TheSerif, and TheMix are available on TN), LucasFonts launched with their best sellers… and their oddly destructive JesusLovesYouAll.

Read the interview with Luc{as} de Groot.

Famira Fonts

Famira Fonts added humanity (and geometry)

With a background in both Dutch and Swiss design, Hannes Famira made an outsized splash when they joined Type Network this summer. Their launch releases—Sonar Sans, Interpol Sans, and Interpol Correspondence—added a range of stylish workhorse styles to the library.

See Famira Fonts.

PampaType

PampaType took us to South America

At the end of October, PampaType—South America’s oldest digital type foundry—joined us. After two decades of leading the continent across both retail and custom type, Alejandro Lo Celso’s foundry found its international home. They launched with four excellent faces: Amster, Amster Versal Iluminada, Margarita, and Atahualpa.

Learn about Lo Celso and PampaType..

Thinstroke

Thinstroke added “Spignarian” elegance

Bringing the immaculate scripts of Tony Di Spigna to the masses, Thinstroke joined TN in the fall. As one of the most acclaimed living type designers, Di Spigna’s faces immediately added elegance and refinement to the Type Network library. Without giving too much away, Thinstroke is planning to add even more in 2022.

Learn about Tony Di Spigna and Thinstroke.

Original Type

Original Type went corporate

In the final month of the year, Original Type, founded in 2018 by Artur Schmal, joined Type Network. With an emphasis on brand and corporate typefaces, Original Type is poised to contribute as much to TN’s custom work as to our library. Their launch faces—Parry, Parry Grotesque, and Bonnie—have already become popular in their first month with us.

Read the interview with Artur Schmal.

Summer hires

In the summer, we added three staff members

The biggest announcement of the year, which directly led to many of the other wonderful moments on this list, was of Christopher Slye (based in Alamo, California) taking the helm as President of Type Network. Lucas Czarnecki, Director of Content (Charlottesville, Virginia), is reinvigorating our promotional efforts with lots of things you’ve seen and a few we’re excited to share. Kent Kirschner, Business and Sales Strategy Consultant (Sarasota, Florida), is bringing TN to the attention of a wider market of professionals who understand that original, top quality fonts and typographic services are essential in brand communications in every field.

Fall hires

Then, in the fall, we added four more

Dan Rhatigan, Director of Type Products (Portland, Oregon), working with our foundry partners and corporate clients to devise and execute smart typographic solutions. Maria Glenda Bellarosa (Glenda for short), Library Manager (San Francisco), ensures every single Type Network release meets our strict quality standards. Kate Beckwith, Office Manager (Oakland, California), is helping in everything from project management to documentation to content development. Guido Ferreyra, Font Engineer (Cordoba, Argentina), is working on behind-the-scenes tools to improve our production process and typefaces.

And, totally on board

While there’s been significant growth, and a little turnover, key members of the team are staying on—with a wider portfolio and responsibilities. Michelle Perham, General Manager (Seattle), is focusing on our clients and customers. Dyana Weissman, Director of Custom Type (Boston), is stepping back from drawing to manage the more complex and increased number of projects coming in. David Jonathan Ross (Western Massachusetts), while running his own foundry, DJR, is a creative and design technology consultant to the team.

And Roger Black (Tampa Bay) is working full time as TN chair, and as type consultant.

But, as Roger would say, more important than us is our partners, the designers and foundries who make Type Network what it is. Seven great foundries joined in 2021, increasing the group to a total of 36. (You can see the full list on the home page.)

Custom Type

We found a spectacular groove with agency work

With the world’s best type designers as members, Type Network made it a point to procure and project manage large custom design projects for our partner foundries. From MTV to AccuWeather and beyond, our 36 foundry partners have had a globally recognized year.

Learn more about our custom type services and read our case studies.

Adobe Fonts

Adobe released it all

Our partnership with Adobe continues to grow, with all Adobe Originals now available to license through Type Network. With extended and multi-user licenses available, Type Network is the best place for companies and teams to get classics like Trajan, Acumin, Adobe Caslon, Myriad, and more. In addition, more TN families are being added to the Adobe Fonts service each quarter.

See Adobe on Type Network.

We served 9,000+ orders

We’re proud to have delivered more than 9,000 unique orders and more than 39,000 unique licenses across our 36 foundry partners. This marks our best year yet, and with new staff members, foundry partners, and international clients, we’re ready for an even better year ahead.

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