ATypI Tokyo 2019: two must-see presentations to watch online

As ATypI Tokyo 2019 has started posting their recent talks on YouTube Typeroom recommends checking out the knowledge online with these two videos: Sebastien Morlighem's “The Sans Serif in France: The Early Years (1834–44)” and Jo De Baerdemaeker's “Ferdinand Theinhardt’s Legacy in Tibetan” presentations. 

In the first video, Sébastien Morlighem examines the situation of “type making” in parallel with other ways of designing letters and provides insight into the evolution of the French typefounding market. 

“Sans serif types began to spread in England in the early 1830s and later became popular on the European continent.

Their introduction and development in France remain only minimally researched and documented to this day.

Although the first French sans serif types such as the 'Lettres sans traits' (Marcellin-Legrand, Plassan et Comp. foundry) were influenced by British models, several original designs blossomed and swiftly stood out in this manifold genre soon to be named 'Antiques.'

This presentation represents the initial fruits of a long-distance investigation. It aims to introduce the audience to the slow but undeniable breakthrough of the sans serif in a lively and transformative era, one characterized not only by technological innovations and an explosion of information, but also by the rise of Romantic literature and arts and the growth and diversification of the publishing trade.

Sébastien Morlighem draws on a wide range of little-known documents found in public and private collections, showing typefaces in use in journals, books, posters, and jobbing printing, as well as surprising letterforms pervading engraving, lithography, and sign painting” notes ATypI. 

In the second Jo De Baerdemaeker reminds us of the pivotal role Berlin-based punchcutter and typefounder Ferdinand Theinhardt (1820–1906) played in printing works in characters for Tibetan and other writing systems of the world. 

“Theinhardt’s Tibetisch can be regarded as a faithful interpretation, and most successful representation, of the Tibetan U-chan script in metal type.

From the moment it was created —around 1880—this specific font was met with great approval, was distributed to international printing houses and type foundries, and appeared in publications all over the world.

It became the standard typeface for printing Tibetan texts, and (in)directly influenced other type foundries and printers, up to the advent of the personal computer.

This talk offers a unique view on Ferdinand Theinhardt's creativity and entrepreneurship: how his Tibetan typeface emerged in the multiscript printing practices of nineteenth-century Europe, and how its typographic qualities remain relevant for contemporary Tibetan font design” notes ATypI. 

Both presentations are available thanks to ATypI's video initiative with Google.