TYPE BY launch
May 9, 2019
Hello and welcome to TYPE BY — our new label and type boutique. After a much needed pause we are back, alive and kicking.
We are here to bring out our work, unadorned — to let it speak for itself.
We believe in research, craft, and experience. We believe in humanity of design. We believe in intelligent design. We believe in strong independent voices. We believe in the elusive, yet ever so present power of type.
Our designs are imbued with these values — a testament to the decades of our professional type design experience. We make a firm pledge to publish type that is useful, dependable, and above all, a joy to work with — type with character.
Our team has been working together for more than fifteen years now. United by our shared passion for type and research, and with a recognisable “signature” behind the outlines, we are presenting our designs in individual collections authored by Fred SMEIJERS, Thomas THIEMICH, Hendrik WEBER, Merel WAGNER, Maurice GÖLDNER, and Pierre PANÉ-FARRÉ, lead by Corina COTOROBAI and Fred SMEIJERS. We aim to stay small and keep our pencils sharp, but the TYPE BY collection will grow.
This boutique is being launched with a basic set of features, but it offers direct access to licensing our designs. More functionalities will be rolled out in instalments during the months to come.
COMPANY
TYPE BY is an independent retail font publishing label established in 2018 and lead by Corina COTOROBAI and Fred SMEIJERS. Despite its new name and concept, both Corina and Fred are not novices in font-publishing — they had formerly co-founded the critically acclaimed OurType foundry with the entrepreneurs Rudy Geeraerts and Martine Leloup, a project Corina and Fred had withdrawn from in 2017.
TYPE BY's mother company, TYPE TAILORS, was established in 2008 and will continue to serve proprietary typeface design clients worldwide.
To date, the TYPE BY collection comprises 140 distinct typeface designs comprising over 1400 font styles – available in families or stand-alone single designs – that are both, brand new releases, as well as typeface designs formerly published by OurType and FontFont/Monotype. TYPE BY's products are conceived and manufactured to meet the highest demands of the broader design industries, as well as publishing, media, packaging, fintech and banking, or any other fields requiring high-end typefaces for expressive and efficient communication.
The TYPE BY portfolio is set to grow, new releases to be announced twice a year.
Fred SMEIJERS
Fred Smeijers is a Dutch type designer, researcher, educator, and author. Educated at the school of art in Arnhem, he worked as a typographic advisor to the reprographic company Océ, then became a founding member of the graphic design practice Quadraat, which provided the name for his first published typeface (FontFont, 1992). Among the most versatile contemporary type designers, Smeijers has a whole range of distinctive typefaces to his credit, such as: Renard (TEFF); Nobel (DTL); Arnhem, Fresco, Sansa, Custodia, Ludwig, Monitor, and Puncho — first published by OurType, the font label that he co-founded and led as creative director from 2002 to 2017.
In 2008 Fred Smeijers partnered with typographer Corina Cotorobai to establish Type Tailors - a firm specialising in proprietary type design, software, and typographic consultancy for brands and product manufacturers. Type Tailors' portfolio of custom type designs include bespoke typefaces and lettering for Philips Electronics, Philips Medical Systems, Philips Lighting, Canon-Europe, Tom-Tom, Samsung, Pictet, Bentley, and Porsche – type-directed, designed, and produced at Type Tailors (the latter was co-designed with fellow type directors Hendrik WEBER, Corina COTOROBAI, and Thomas THIEMICH).
Fred's first book - Counterpunch - has been published by Hyphen Press in 1996, followed by the second edition in 2011 and translations into French, Japanese, Portuguese, and Chinese. In 2001 Smeijers was awarded the Gerrit Noordzij Prize for outstanding contribution to type design, part of which was a book about his work – Type Now (Hyphen Press, 2003). In 2016 the Society of Typographic Aficionados awarded Smeijers the SOTA Typography Award.
Smeijers is a research fellow at Plantin Museum in Antwerp, professor in typeface design at the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst in Leipzig, professor in typeface design at University of Reading, and visiting professor at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague.
Fred Smeijers co-founded TYPE BY and joined it with a comprehensive collection of TYPE BY SMEIJERS: Haultin, Mersey, Blatt, Arnhem, Arnhem Fine, Arnhem Display, Bery Roman, Bery Script, Bery Tuscan, Custodia, Fresco, Fresco Sans, Fresco Informal, Fresco Script, Lambrusco, Ludwig, Monitor, Puncho, Quadraat, Quadraat Sans, Quadraat Sans Mono, Quadraat Display, Quadraat Sans Display, Quadraat Sans Headliner, Sansa, Sansa Slab, Sansa Soft, and Greco* (*co-designed with Pierre Pané-Farré).
Thomas THIEMICH
Thomas Thiemich is a German type designer fascinated by analytics, logic, mathematics, physics, and... performance cycling. Thomas was educated at Otto-Guericke-Universität in Magdeburg studying Computational Visualistics (2000-2001), later transferring to Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst in Leipzig (HGB), where he dived into type design, and applied his knowledge on both type design and type systems.
Thomas is deeply interested in languages and signs. His graduation thesis at HGB researched the development of a language-based system for justification and kerning. Thomas holds a Cum Laude BA degree in Type Design and lectures on type design and technology. His work was exhibited in galleries in Antwerp, Weimar, and Leipzig. Among his custom typeface designs is Aktuell, designed for his alma mater - HGB Leipzig, used extensively in HGB’s identity and all communication channels. Thomas' highly-performant Fakt Slab designs have been included in Apple devices' UI.
Thomas' Fakt, Fakt Slab, Fakt Slab Stencil, and Remo Stencil designs have been widely acknowledged as notable releases by the Type Design industry. In 2019 Thomas was awarded the Type Directors Club Certificate of Excellence in type design for his Gustella suite of designs.
Thomas Thiemich is Head of Font Development at TYPE BY and has joined with a complete collection of TYPE BY THIEMICH: Aktuell Display, ExtraSlab, Paradigma, Aktuell, Felka Brick, Felka Leaf, Felka Line, Felka Slab, Gustella Solid, Gustella Stripes, Gustella Inline, Gustella Boxed, Pirol, Subtil Grotesk, Cobertura, Rosalinde, Fakt Mono, Fakt Stencil, Fakt, Fakt Slab, Fakt Slab Stencil, Fakt Soft, Alto, Alto Mono, Remo, Remo Plus, and Remo Stencil.
Hendrik WEBER
Hendrik Weber is a German graphic and typeface designer with a keen interest in branding and history of type. Hendrik was educated in Potsdam studying graphic design. He later followed his passion for type, transferring to Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig to study type design with Fred Smeijers. During his time in Leipzig, Hendrik rediscovered his calligraphic skills, fell in love with heavy, condensed sanserifs, and developed a special interest in italic letters. Hendrik graduated Cum Laude in 2009.
Hendrik's graduation theory project was later published by the acclaimed Niggli Verlag. His first typeface design families - Lirico and Lirico Plus - first published by OurType, received the Type Directors Club Certificate of Excellence in type design in 2009. His second retail suite of fonts - Edward and Edward Press - were first published by OurType in 2012. Hendrik’s custom design for Bentley Motors was awarded the Red Dot Award in 2014. His other retail designs include Unitext and Helvetica Next (co-designed with Monotype team, 2019) and DIN Next (co-designed with FontWerk team, 2023).
Hendrik has been giving educational lectures and workshops at, amongst others, School of Art Berlin Weissensee, University of applied sciences in Munich, Academy of Fine Arts Nurenberg, Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig, and HSA Augsburg.
Hendrik is type director at KMS team and type director at large at TYPE TAILORS, where he advises clients on custom fonts and type in branding.
Hendrik Weber has joined TYPE BY with TYPE BY WEBER collection of virtuoso designs: Lirico, Lirico Press, Edward, and Edward Plus families.
Merel WAGNER
Merel Wagner (neé Matzinger) is a New-York-based award-wining Dutch graphic designer with a keen interest in multidisciplinary design. Merel was educated at the Art Center College of Design, first in Switzerland (1992–94) and then in Pasadena, USA, graduating in Graphic & Packaging Design in 1996.
From 1996 on, Merel worked in various design agencies in Paris, New York, and Amsterdam. In 1998, while on vacation in Paris, she discovered the book Haagse letters in the iconic, now discontinued, bookshop La Hune. This led to a year of study at the postgraduate course in Type Design and Typography at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. At KABK Merel began with type design theory lessons and with practice in calligraphy, stone cutting, before going on to digitising type. As a graduation project Merel chose to design a ‘friendly sanserif’ inspired by the work of the late ceramicist Eva Zeisel, which resulted into the first, one-weight version of Eva typeface (1999).
During 2004 - 2006, Merel collaborated with Fred Smeijers in fine-tuning Eva's one-weight design and expanding it into what became the retail Eva family, first released by OurType foundry in 2006, and re-published by Type By in 2019.
Merel Wagner has joined TYPE BY with Eva — a sanserif design that beams with charm and harmony.
Maurice GÖLDNER
Maurice Göldner is a German graphic and type designer, and a typographic researcher and Professor of Type Design at the University of Applied Sciences in Augsburg.
Maurice was educated at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Arts and Design in Halle, and later went on to specialise in type design at the HGB Leipzig, completing his BA degree in Type Design in the class of Prof. Fred Smeijers in 2009.
Maurice debuted in type design in 2008 with his first typeface - Meran - published by OurType foundry (foundry discontinued in 2018). His second typeface, the strong and unruly German slabserif Stan was published by OurType in 2012, followed by the flamboyant stencil design Standing Type, published by OurType the very same year. Maurice's Standing Type - next to other designs by Fred Smeijers and Pierre Pané-Farré - was part of OurType's critically acclaimed Stencil Series project. Standing Type was exhibited the same year at the Catapult gallery in Antwerp, part of the exhibition ‘Between Writing & Type: The Stencil Letter’ curated by Eric Kindel and Fred Smeijers.
Maurice’s research field of interest is the history of German type founders. His research paper on the history of Dresden’s Brüder Butter foundry was published in Deutscher Drucker Nr. 9, Journal für Druckgeschichte (2010) and Typography papers 9, Hyphen Press, London (2013).
In 2016 Maurice became a co-founding member of Camelot Type collective, publishing self-initiated type and typography projects and collaborating with various graphic design studios. In 2017 Maurice was appointed professor in typeface design at Hochschule Augsburg University of Applied Sciences.
Maurice Göldner has joined TYPE BY with TYPE BY GÖLDNER collection of unique and memorable designs: Meran, Stan, and Standing Type.
Pierre PANÉ-FARRÉ
Pierre Pané-Farré is a German graphic, typographic, and type designer with a keen interest in typographic research. Pierre was educated at the HGB Leipzig, completing his BA in the Type Design class of Fred Smeijers and Stefan Müller (2012), and MA degree in type design with Fred Smeijers (2013-2016).
Pierre’s multiple talents range from designing playful typographic posters, to conceiving award-winning book designs, as well as public appearances presenting his research subjects, and designing type - that is often linked to his research fields.
Pierre debuted in type design in 2012 at the OurType* foundry (*discontinued in 2018) with a range of outstanding stencil designs: Couteau, Orly, and Greco (the latter co-designed with Fred Smeijers) that were part - next to other designs by Fred Smeijers and Maurice Göldner - of the OurType Stencil Series project. Pierre’s type designs were exhibited the same year at the Catapult gallery in Antwerp, part of the exhibition ‘Between Writing & Type: The Stencil Letter’ curated by Eric Kindel and Fred Smeijers.
In 2014 Pierre co-curated, with Julia Blume and Fred Smeijers, the exhibition “Vom Buch auf die Straße” at the Museum of Printing in Leipzig. Pierre’s ongoing research fields are a Conspectus of German 19th century wood type manufacturers and the Stencilled poster in France in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
In 2017 Pierre became a founding member of the Forgotten Shapes collective, aiming at reviving historical typographic sources. In 2021 Pierre was appointed professor in typeface design at Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften Hamburg (HAW Hamburg).
Pierre Pané-Farré has joined TYPE BY with TYPE BY PANÉ-FARRÉ collection of playfully serious designs: Couteau, Orly, Greco (co-designed with Fred Smeijers), and its latest release - Klub superfamily.
Corina COTOROBAI
Corina Cotorobai is an award-winning graphic and typographic designer. Sharp, curious, and knowledgeable, Corina has been working in the field of typography since 1995 - offering tailored type and typography solutions for print, software, and product manufacturers.
Having gone full circle from classical Art education all the way to Applied Arts, Corina fell in love with letters early on, by way of graphic design in general, and typography and type design, especially. Corina holds a BA in graphic design from the Institute of Arts (1997), and a MA in type design and typography from the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague (KABK, 2001) and a MA in book design and typography from Werkplaats Typografie in Arnhem (ArtEZ, 2003). Corina studied Design Management at the EURIB, Rotterdam (2007-2009).
Corina was formerly a co-founding Managing Partner of OurType foundry (2002-2017). Since 2008 she is a Managing Partner of TYPE TAILORS - a design firm specialised in custom typeface design, software, and typographic consultancy for brands and product manufacturers, serving a wide range of the world's leading enterprises and brands.
Corina's typographic work has been recognised with typography awards such as the silver medal for the Best Book Design of the World (Leipzig/Frankfurt, 2004) and Best Dutch Book Designs (2003). Corina's designs were exhibited in Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam), Meermanno Museum of the Book - Huis van het boek (The Hague), St Bride Library (London), Royal Academy of Arts (The Hague), Museum of Printing (Leipzig), Walker Art Center (Minneapolis), Cooper-Hewitt National Museum (New York), Hammer Museum (Los Angeles), Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (Texas), Rhode Island School of Design, RISD (Providence), among others.
Corina Cotorobai co-founded TYPE BY and joined it with a comprehensive typographic, R&D, multi-script design, and foundry expertise, and strategic insight steering the TYPE BY collection.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Over the past decades we had collaborated, received advice, got friendly taps on the shoulder, got provoked by good questions, perplexed by tough questions, and u-turned by invaluable insight from an ever-growing number of friends and colleagues. We wish to thank them, in alphabetical order:
Huda Abifares
Roberto Arista
Lara Assouad
Frederik Berlaen
David Berlow
Fransje Berserik
Onno Bevoort
Wigger Bierma
Erik van Blokland
Petr van Blokland
Jeanne de Bont
Jelle Bosma
Valentin Brustaux
Christopher Burke
Matthew Carter
Tom Conroy
Stephen Cronin
André Cruz
Maria Doreuli
Andreas Eigendorf
Stéphane Elbaz
Vera Evstafieva
Joshua Farmer
Sven Fuchs
Anton de Haan
Guy Hutsebaut
Eric Kindel
Robin Kinross
Christoph Koeberlin
Dingeman Kuilman
Indra Kupferschmid
Henk Lamers
Gerry Leonidas
Valeriu Loghin
Mathieu Lommen
Martin Majoor
Karel Martens
Maurice Meilleur
Dan Milne
Peter Mohr
Wael Morcos
Titus Nemeth
Roel Nieskens
Ingo Offermanns
Riccardo Olocco
Michele Patane
Laurence Penney
Jonathan Pierini
Jean François Porchez
Sandra Rabenou
Tânia Raposo
Just van Rossum
Cristina Sabau
Alex Schiopu
Artur Schmal
André Simard
Jan Willem Stas
Erik Spiekermann
Nils Thomsen
Mark Thomson
Thomas Thiemich
Robin Uleman
Peter van Roy
Rob Verhaart
Peter Verheul
Tessa van der Waals
Hendrik Weber
Wim Westerveld.
The ones and only:
† Justin Howes
† Paul Stiff
† Hendrik Vervliet
† Gerrit Noordzij
† Jan Middendorp.