I’m writing this as I sit at Boot Cafe in Le Marais with my wife Laura and daughter Isla – relaxing properly for the first time in 5 weeks! I’m sure the other attendees are doing much the same thing, as we all celebrate having graduated from TypeParis16.
It’s been a fantastic 5 weeks. We have learnt so much, and now get to take that knowledge with us as we head back to our different countries, workplaces and homes. Monday and Tuesday were all heads down, bums up as we expanded and perfected our typefaces as much as we could before reaching the deadline at the end of the week. Jean François, Mathieu and Julien were there by our sides, their feedback more pointed and valuable than ever, to help the typefaces be their very best.
The beginning of the week was also the time to start thinking about transitioning out of our font editors and into InDesign to create our specimens and final presentations. Lots to think about and do.
On Wednesday we welcomed our final guest Lucas Sharp. What a character! He entered the classroom with a booming energy, and critiqued our work with the same vigour. It was such a pleasure to meet him and Chantra, what a lovely couple. It was really interesting to hear his feedback and philosophies align so neatly with Jean François’, both designers’ backgrounds being so different. Lucas had the unique challenge of suggesting only minimal changes, so as to not give us weeks worth of corrections to make two days out from finishing the program. His viewpoints were much appreciated by the whole class.
By Thursday it was more or less expected that our typefaces would be set aside, and our specimens and presentations polished and nearly completed. It is hard to put down something you know still needs months of work, but it was the best thing for the program to present our work in its current state. We knew we had lots of time after TypeParis to either complete our character sets and improve our paths, or even lay this typeface to rest and start another project, equipped with new-found knowledge and passion.
Friday was a fast-paced and very exciting one: it was Graduation Day! Everyone worked hard to put the finishing touches on their presentations, and scurried off around noon to print their beautiful specimen sheets, ready for all to see at the Presentation at 4pm. It was amazing to see the hard work that had gone into each project all in the one place. Even as a student, it’s easy to miss some parts of your classmate’s work, so getting to look closely at each specimen was a joy.
After a few delays and some rushing about, we sat down and enjoyed hearing from each student as they proudly presented the fruits of their labour. It’s hard to believe all this work can come from 5 weeks, but then you remember how intense it all was and realise how it was possible. Everyone did a fantastic job. Certificates were handed out at the end, and some students shared their heartfelt thanks for all the hard work done by the instructors and organisers. Huge thanks to Jean François and Veronique for making TypeParis possible, we appreciate you both.
After the presentations we set off to a park not far from the Eiffel Tower, enjoyed some drinks and pizza together, and chatted into the night. A beautiful end to an amazing, intense and very rewarding program.
— By Dave Coleman
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