Time for a change
After almost 75 years of excellent font design, the Type Directors Club is no longer there, at least temporarily. The board has announced that the TDC "has decided to dismantle the organization as it is". The reason? A combination of financial pressures exacerbated by Covid-19 and the resignation of board member Juan Villanueva, who in an open letter called the TDC a "racist organization."
Villanueva, font designer at Monotype Studio in New York, said, "I'm resigning because the TDC board doesn't promote a collaborative environment and isn't really open to change."
The story of the Type Directors Club follows a pattern that many such organizations in the creative sector share. It was founded in New York in 1946 by some of the day's leading designers, including Aaron Burns and Louis Dorfman. One of the first measures was to set up a series of lectures. In 1953, a pricing system was launched. Conferences, medals and yearbooks followed. Before deciding to disband its current structure, the TDC had reaffirmed its goals of building a community, supporting students and young professionals, and recognizing outstanding font designs.
These organizations build on the thought of a self-selecting elite who come together to raise the profile of the industry and ensure its future wellbeing
It is a familiar story shared mainly by D & AD, the One Club and the various Art Directors Clubs across Europe. These organizations build on the thought of a self-selecting elite who come together to raise standards, improve the industry's profile and ensure their future wellbeing.
They are based on the idea that all practitioners should strive for excellence – excellence based on the quality of the work they produce and viewed through the prism of commercial and artistic success. This excellence is usually confirmed by winning an award or, as with AGI, by nomination and review by peers. A “good” designer is someone who produces “good” work.