TypeTogether

TypeTogether
Name	TypeTogether
Industry	Typeface Foundry
Founded	2006
Founders	José Scaglione; Veronika Burian
Headquarters	Prague; New York City
Products	Typefaces; Retail Fonts; Variable Fonts; Custom Type

TypeTogether TypeTogether is an independent type foundry known for designing retail and custom typefaces for editorial, corporate, and signage use. It operates internationally with studios in Prague and New York City and has collaborated with publishers, cultural institutions, and corporations across Europe and the Americas. The foundry’s work spans revivals, original families, and variable fonts used by clients in publishing, branding, and digital platforms.

History

TypeTogether emerged in the mid-2000s amid renewed interest in digital type design and the maturation of desktop publishing tools like Adobe InDesign, QuarkXPress, and Microsoft Office. Founders launched the firm as part of a broader ecosystem including influential foundries such as Linotype, Monotype Imaging, FontFont, and House Industries. Early projects connected the studio with publications like The New York Times, The Guardian, Prada campaigns, and institutions such as The Museum of Modern Art and The British Library. The firm navigated major industry shifts including the rise of web fonts supported by Google Fonts, the expansion of variable font technology introduced by Apple Inc. and Google LLC, and licensing changes catalyzed by platforms like Adobe Fonts and MyFonts. Throughout the 2010s, collaborations with printers, publishers, and design studios such as Pentagram, Sagmeister & Walsh, Massimo Vignelli Associates, and Design studio Spin increased its profile. Type projects intersected with typographic research communities linked to Reading University, University of Typography, and academic conferences such as ATypI and TypoLab.

Founders and Key Personnel

Founders include José Scaglione, who previously worked on projects linked to Fellowes, Agfa, and editorial clients, and Veronika Burian, who studied and collaborated with figures around Brno Typographic School and academic settings like University of Reading. Other notable contributors and collaborators have included designers connected to Christophe Grunenwald, José Mendoza y Almeida-influenced revivals, and type designers whose names appear alongside those at Commercial Type, Dalton Maag, and Klim Type Foundry. The studio has engaged engineers and hinting specialists familiar with technologies from Microsoft ClearType and Apple TrueType teams, as well as marketing and licensing professionals who liaise with entities such as International Typeface Corporation and Font Bureau. Type directors and contributing designers have presented at events organized by ATypI, Typographics, and TYPO Berlin.

Typeface Design and Releases

Type releases include families serving editorial, corporate identity, and signage roles, comparable in market position to classics released by Frutiger, Helvetica, and Times New Roman foundries. The catalogue encompasses serif and sans families, display faces, and revivals inspired by historical models associated with figures like Giambattista Bodoni, John Baskerville, Claude Garamond, and William Caslon. Releases have been used in publications such as The Economist, The New Yorker, and Harper's Bazaar, and in cultural programming at Tate Modern, Victoria and Albert Museum, and Guggenheim Museum. The foundry developed variable font offerings aligning with technologies promoted at W3C workshops and implemented OpenType features standardized by Microsoft and Adobe. Retail distribution channels included marketplaces alongside MyFonts, Fontspring, and subscription services hosted by Adobe Creative Cloud.

Design Philosophy and Techniques

Design practice draws on historical scholarship exemplified by research approaches at St Bride Library, Plantin-Moretus Museum, and academic programs at The Cooper Union. The studio blends traditional type drawing influenced by masters like Stanley Morison and Jan Tschichold with digital techniques pioneered by teams at Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corporation. Techniques include optical size master design similar to work by Hermann Zapf and interpolation strategies used by foundries such as Hoefler & Co. and Font Bureau. Emphasis on legibility and editorial neutrality positions their work alongside typefaces commissioned by The New York Times Magazine and The Washington Post. Research into hinting, kerning, and language support references standards from Unicode Consortium and practices circulated at TYPO Labs.

Business Model and Collaborations

The business model combines retail sales, custom commissions, and licensing arrangements with publishers, brands, and broadcasters such as BBC, CNN, and National Geographic. Collaborations extend to design consultancies like Pentagram, cultural organizations including Smithsonian Institution, and technology partners such as Google Arts & Culture and Mozilla Foundation for web font deployment. Educational outreach and workshops have been conducted in partnership with institutions like University of Reading, Royal College of Art, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Licensing strategies respond to trends from marketplaces like Fontspring and platforms such as Fonts.com, with adaptations for app embed licensing seen in deals similar to those negotiated by Monotype and Linotype.

Awards and Recognition

Type faces and projects have received recognition in venues and competitions associated with Type Directors Club, D&AD, Red Dot Design Award, International Design Awards, and European Design Awards. Presentations and case studies have featured at conferences such as ATypI, Typographics, Design Indaba, and been reviewed in publications like Eye magazine, Communication Arts, Print Magazine, and Creative Review. Institutional clients and awards include acknowledgments from museums and cultural bodies such as Tate Modern and Victoria and Albert Museum exhibitions.

Category:Type foundries