Fontstand International Typography Conference

Fontstand’s fifth annual typography conference returns to The Hague! Join world-class type designers and typographers from around the world for a packed two-day program of presentations and discussions.
The first day of the event starts with a series of practical workshops focusing on type design, scripting, and type usage, and concludes with a main conference keynote.
The second day offers a rich program of talks and presentations on various aspects of typography in print, motion design and branding, and ends with a conference dinner for all participants, where you can meet and interact with colleagues and presenters.

Organized by Fontstand, the typeface discovery and rental app, in partnership with TypeMedia / KABK and Huis van het Boek.
Coffee breaks are kindly sponsored by Zetafonts.

Speakers

  • Veronika Burian

    TypeTogether — Czech Republic

    The Gerard Unger Scholarship, which supports young typeface designers, is celebrating its 10th anniversary, giving its founders Veronika Burian and José Scaglione an opportunity to reflect on the evolution of typography and its community.

    type-together.com

  • Simona Császárová

    Slovakia

    Slovakia has recently introduced redesigned car number plates, and designer Simona Császárová explains the process of creating the typeface for the new plates, as well as the technical and legal considerations that the design must meet.

    csaszarova.cargo.site

  • Gert Dumbar

    the Netherlands

    In his keynote ‘How to overcome design meatballs and design rubbish’, legendary designer Gert Dumbar, founder of Studio Dumbar, will talk about this design process and unorthodox approach to design that challenges conventions. Followed by Q&A moderated by Peter Biľak.

    gertdumbar.com

  • Tobias Frere-Jones

    Frere-Jones Type — US

    Tobias Frere-Jones recounts the research and design process behind New York City Football Club’s new family of typefaces. The city’s history becomes the material for the identity of a modern sports team, and a bond with citizens and fans.

    frerejones.com

  • Hansje van Halem

    the Netherlands

    Hansje van Halem’s talk offers insight into her unique approach to graphic design, showcasing her bold and inventive type designs, intricate patterns, and the artistry she brings to typography.

    hansje.net

  • Nalat Jaturapattarapong

    Cadson Demak — Thailand

    Explore the evolution of Thai typography, with Knaz Uiyamathiti and Nalat Jaturapattarapong of Cadson Demak, from traditional looped forms to modern loopless styles, revealing the cultural and design shifts they embody.

    cadsondemak.com

  • Martin Majoor

    The Netherlands

    French writer and researcher Sébastien Morlighem, together with type designer Martin Majoor and graphic designer Jaap van Triest, return to the unique work of Dutch type designer Evert Bloemsma (1958-2005) and examine the relevance of his work today.

    martinmajoor.com

  • Sébastien Morlighem

    France

    French writer and researcher Sébastien Morlighem, together with type designer Martin Majoor and graphic designer Jaap van Triest, return to the unique work of Dutch type designer Evert Bloemsma (1958-2005) and examine the relevance of his work today.

  • Riccardo Olocco

    CAST — Italy

    In his presentation, Italian researcher and type designer Riccardo Olocco thoroughly analyzes the roman type used in Venice by Nicolas Jenson, which became the prototype for virtually all roman types up to the present.

    c-a-s-t.com

  • Mitch Paone

    MNKY Type & DIA Studio — US

    Mitch Paone delves into how working with type in emerging formats, generative tools, and motion compelled DIA Studio to dive into the rich historical traditions of type design, which led to the launch of MNKY Type.

    dia.tv

  • José Scaglione

    TypeTogether — Czech Republic

    The Gerard Unger Scholarship, which supports young typeface designers, is celebrating its 10th anniversary, giving its founders Veronika Burian and José Scaglione an opportunity to reflect on the evolution of typography and its community.

    type-together.com

  • Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès

    Khatt Foundation — the Netherlands

    Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès presents projects undertaken by the Khatt Foundation and highlights the knowledge they have contributed to the history and practice in Southwest Asia and North Africa and the broader design community.

    khtt.net

  • Jaap van Triest

    The Netherlands

    French writer and researcher Sébastien Morlighem, together with type designer Martin Majoor and graphic designer Jaap van Triest, return to the unique work of Dutch type designer Evert Bloemsma (1958-2005) and examine the relevance of his work today.

  • Knaz Uiyamathiti

    Cadson Demak — Thailand

    Explore the evolution of Thai typography, with Knaz Uiyamathiti and Nalat Jaturapattarapong of Cadson Demak, from traditional looped forms to modern loopless styles, revealing the cultural and design shifts they embody.

    cadsondemak.com

Location

The Hague, the Netherlands

As well as the seat of government of the Netherlands and the headquarters of high-profile international organizations, the city of The Hague is also home to more than a hundred ethnic groups, with half its population being of non-Dutch heritage. It is also where the KABK (the Royal Academy of Art) is based, with its world-renowned TypeMedia postgraduate program. Come and discover the city.

Venue

The conference will be held in the Nieuwe Kerk, a beautiful 17th-century Dutch classical/baroque building restored as a concert hall.

Nieuwe Kerk
Spui 175
2511 BM Den Haag
Netherlands

Accommodation

Most of the speakers will be staying at the Park Centraal Hotel, you can use the code SCPROMO to get a 15% discount.

PARK CENTRAAL DEN HAAG
Molenstraat 53
2513 BJ Den Haag

parkcentraal.com

Schedule

Please note that the program is subject to change, and will be updated continuously up to the date of the conference.
Friday, March 14, 2025
12.30 — 17.30
Workshops
12.30 — 17.30
Demystifying Font Licensing
with Joyce Ketterer (Darden Studio)

When you ‘buy’ fonts, you purchase limited rights to use them. In this workshop with the Darden Studio CEO Joyce Ketterer, End User License Agreements (EULAs) will be discussed from both perspectives, as a type foundry protecting their work, and as a font user utilizing fonts for commercial and non-commercial purposes.

Costs €9.99 with the Fontstand conference ticket (max. 40 participants)

12.30 — 17.30
Python for Designers
with Roberto Arista (Dinamo)

An in­tro­duc­tion to pro­gram­ming in Python language, working in the popular application DrawBot for the Mac, to generate and explore visual ideas using code. Python can help you de­sign and make books, il­lus­tra­tions, data vi­su­al­iza­tions, maps, and an­i­ma­tions, as well as han­dle web­sites, and more. You will need to bring your own laptop with MacOS.

Costs €9.99 with the Fontstand conference ticket (max. 20 participants)

12.30 — 17.30
Cyrillic Type Design
with Ilya Ruderman (CSTM Fonts)

Learn how to design Cyrillic fonts in this 5 hours workshop. In the first part of the workshop, Ilya will guide you through the history and contemporary use of Cyrillic type, as well as different Cyrillic-based languages and their needs. In the second part, participants will draw sample Cyrillic words based on an existing Latin script. You will be encouraged to draw by hand on paper, but it is also possible to work digitally.

Costs €9.99 with the Fontstand conference ticket (max. 40 participants)

12.30 — 17.30
Kern On workshop
with Tim Ahrens (Just Another Foundry)

This workshop will provide a hands-on introduction to the Kern On plugin for Glyphs, along with advanced tricks, in-depth explanations of the underlying mechanisms, and a closing discussion on users’ feature requests and potential future enhancements. Bring your Mac laptop with the Glyphs application installed to follow the workshop.

Costs €9.99 with the Fontstand conference ticket (max. 20 participants)

12.30 — 17.30
Thai lettering workshop
with Knaz Uiyamathiti and Nalat Jaturapattarapong (Cadson Demak)

In this workshop aimed at non-Thai designers, Cadson Demak senior designers will then guide attendees through the fundamentals of Thai letterforms while encouraging experimentation with looped and loopless styles through their own interpretations. Bring your pencils, sketchbooks, and a Macbook with Glyphs app installed.

Costs €9.99 with the Fontstand conference ticket (max. 12 participants)

14.00 — 17.30
The Hague letter walk
with Françoise Berserik (KABK)

Join Françoise Berserik, stone carver, book designer, graphic designer and teacher at the Royal Academy of Arts (KABK), on a letter walk. The walk lasts 3 ½ hours and highlights important examples of architectural lettering in The Hague.

Costs €9.99 with the Fontstand conference ticket (max. 20 participants)

19.00 — 20.00
Registration
20.00 — 21.00
Gert Dumbar:
How to overcome design meatballs and design rubbish
21.00 — 22.30
10 years of Gerard Unger Scholarship:
Exhibition opening reception
22.45
End
Saturday, March 15, 2025
9.00 — 10.00
Registration
10.00 — 10.10
Welcome
10.10 — 10.40
Tobias Frere-Jones (Frere-Jones Type):
Express & Local
10.40 — 11.10
Simona Császárová:
Designing Slovakia's New License Plates
11.10 — 11.40
Riccardo Olocco (CAST):
The Most Influential Type in the History of Printing
11.40 — 12.10
Break
12.10 — 12.50
Sébastien Morlighem, Martin Majoor, Jaap van Triest:
Remembering, Rediscovering Evert Bloemsma
12.50 — 13.20
Hansje van Halem:
Bold Patterns and Playful Type
13.20 — 15.00
Lunch
15.00 — 15.30
Knaz Uiyamathiti and Nalat Jaturapattarapong (Cadson Demak):
The Dual Nature of Thai Script
15.30 — 16.00
Veronika Burian and José Scaglione (TypeTogether):
Letters for the future — Ten Years of the Gerard Unger Scholarship
16.00 — 16.30
Huda Smitshuijzen AbiFarès (Khatt Foundation):
Documenting Typographic Practices in Southwest Asia and North Africa
16.30 — 17.15
Break
17.15 — 17.45
Mitch Paone (MNKY Type, DIA Studio):
DIA x MNKY — Past, Present & Futures
17.45 — 18.30
Christine Bateup (Frere-Jones Type) and Peter Biľak (Typotheque):
The future of the type industry
18.30
End
20:00
Official Saturday Dinner Party

Tickets

We don’t have discounted tickets for students, but we invite people to sponsor students. Typically people choose to pay 50% of the ticket, and the student pays the other half.