There are a lot of interesting things currently happening in the field of typography in Central and Eastern Europe, and specifically in the Czech Republic. We have exciting, prolific type foundries and type designers such as Veronika Burian, one half of TypeTogether; František Štorm's Storm Type Foundry; Tomáš Brousil's Suitcase Type Foundry; David Březina's Rosetta, … Talking about Rosetta – the foundry has become the main organiser of the two-day TypeTalks symposium, whose third edition is coming back to its home town Brno in the Czech republic on September 6 and 7. The Czech type design scene gets highlighted in the first issue of the digital edition of 2+3D design magazine for iPad tablets and Androids.

The first English language issue of the Polish design magazine is almost entirely devoted to Central Europe, shedding a fascinating light on this sometimes lesser-known region. Subsequent editions of 2+3D will also deal with international design issues as seen from an Eastern European perspective. The biannual publication will feature articles on graphic design as well as product design, with special emphasis on sustainable, ecological and universal design trends. It will also explore cultural influences and the evolution of the design profession. In addition plenty of space will be devoted to critical essays, as well as to columns and opinion pieces.

The articles on graphic design in this first issue offer insights into how Czech type designers are taking the world by storm in a piece by Typo magazine's Filip Blažek, why Slovak freelancers refuse to work for large advertising firms, the search for local inspiration by Polish graphic designers, and the ascendancy of Hungarian illustrators. The industrial design section features an article about young Czech designers, as well as interviews with Hungarian architect Áron Losonczi, inventor of the LiTraCon™ (a unique translucent building material), and with Polish furniture designer Tomasz Augustyniak.

The magazine also includes reviews of the two largest international design events taking place in that part of Europe – the International Poster Biennale in Warsaw (Poland) and the International Graphic Design Biennale in Brno (Czech Republic). A list of recommended English-language books on design in Central Europe concludes this publication.

Fittingly the magazine is entirely typeset in a Czech typeface – recently awarded at the European Design Awards 2013. Headlines mostly use Tabac Bold Grade 4. The magazine serves as a great showcase for the super family's performance in screen-based typography.

And that's not all – the first 5,000 downloads (yes, five thousand!) are completely free of charge. It is available in the App Store and on Google Play.

This project has been carried out with the financial support of the International Visegrad Fund.