Erik van Blokland (born 1967) could not choose between type design and programming and decided to do both. His work includes randomfont Beowolf 1 (1990, MoMA collection 2011), typewriter Trixie (1991), banknote LTR Federal (1996, TDC 2002) and Eames Century Modern (2009, TDC, Letter.2, 2011).
For many years he has focused on the technical aspects of type design and developed, among other things, the acclaimed type interpolation tools Skateboard, MutatorMath and Superpolator. Erik co-authored the Unified Font Object (UFO) specification and the W3C Web Open Font Format standard 2. He is also co-organizer of the triannual Robothon Type & Technology conference 3.
Van Blokland is a 1989 graduate of the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague (KABK). He is currently the head of the Type and Media master department. He invented the TypeCooker sketching tool which challenges students to meet ridiculous requirements.
Van Blokland consults on type design tools, logos, lettering and typefaces, with clients including HBO, The Government of The Netherlands, Adidas, and Adobe. He can talk endlessly about ancient digital font formats and currently dabbles in research projects on optics, digitisation, drawing and responsive type. More at LettError.com.
Apply before 14 January for the three-week type design course starting 5 April and ending 24 April 2027.
After 10 years in Paris, we reinvent our type design programme. We go from 6 weeks to 3 weeks, while maintaining the fundamentals that make TypeParis’ reputation.
The course will take place in Menorca, Spain for the first time. In 2027, we offer two levels, Foundation and Expert, which allows you to discover type design, or to gain expertise after an initial training.
➼ Subscribe to our mailing list to stay informed, until application period is launched.
Get ready & apply before 14 January 2027
Don’t miss out on the best price ticket! Join us on Saturday 30 May 2026, for an incredible lineup of speakers. It’s going to be a blast.
Now26 conference in Paris is a celebration of typography, featuring inspiring speakers from graphic design, web design, motion design, publishing, visual identity, communication, and type design.
➼ Visit the Now26 conference page for latest news about our next graphic and type conference.
➼ Subscribe to our mailing list to benefit from our special offers.
