Anticipation is slowly but steadily building now that TYPO Berlin is merely a week away. The conference programme has been completed and can be consulted on the TYPO Talks website. It runs over an unprecedented five tracks, with a total of 80 speakers. For anyone who cannot make it, there will be six talks streamed live on the TYPO Video Portal. However if you still plan on coming you will have to hurry because the organisation communicated there are only a couple of tickets left – again the popular conference is almost sold out.
Ken Garland delivers possibly the most appropriate and poignant keynote in the history of TYPO at TYPO Berlin 2013. Photo © Nikolaus Netzer
In exactly one week, on Thursday, May 15 at 2pm TYPO Berlin will open with the keynote by economist, General Manager of ZIA, and Professor in Design Theory Holm Friebe. This will kick off three conference days jam-packed with information, inspiration, and social networking. Obviously the main topic of this edition is "Roots", focusing on the lasting values of design, and looking backwards and contemplating the inner values of design. Yet somewhat coincidentally a number speakers have agreed to tackle an additional topic. The presentations by Christian Hanke, Joost Grootens, Tomas Mrazauskas, Brigitte Schuster, the Institute of Book Design, and Peter Biľak will examine digital publishing – respectively publishing and the future of books in the digital age.
TYPO Hall Audience at TYPO Berlin 2013.Photo @ Gerhard Kassner
For this edition TYPO has partnered with the Dutch embassy in Berlin. It organises two exhibitions in the foyer, the central hall that amongst other things also houses the book shop. The first ties in with the (digital) publishing topic – it provides an overview of "The Best Dutch Book Designs", featuring the winners of last year's competition as well as a number of classics. The other exhibition is called "Dutch Engineering" and showcases work of somewhat lesser-known graphic designers. NEST will be used differently this year: it will be turned into an exhibition space too. Design students from various universities in Germany will present their best work/projects, and host a series of presentations (in German only).
Slanted Cuba exhibition at TYPO Berlin 2013. Photo by Jens Tenhaeff
This means the workshops usually organised in NEST will be relocated to the foyer – head of Type Department at FSI Andreas Frohloff, Hebrew Calligraphy by Langesommer, Responsive web design – tips and tricks by Smashing Magazine's own Vitaly Friedman, and of course the TypeCooker sketch sessions which culminate in the – very amusing – Crispy TypeCooker critiques by type designers and Type & Media teachers Erik van Blokland and Paul van der Laan.
TypeCooker sketch session at TYPO 2013 "Touch". Photo @ Erik van Blokland
All work(shop) and no play makes the TYPO attendee a dull girl or boy, so the foyer will also be the scene for a party. On Thursday night FontShop will celebrate its 25th anniversary with live music – Franz Geil will sing classic French chansons by Serge Gainsbourg, Françoise Hardy, Joe Dassin, France Gall and Jacques Brel in German – and FontShop will treat the attendance to 1,000 free beers. Franz Geil's will not be the only performance at TYPO. SNASK are playing with their band on Thursday night, on Saturday Grzegorz Laszuk's presentation will feature a band and an opera singer, and Berlin artist, illustrator and performer Jim Avignon will play as his alter ego Neoangin on TYPO Night, which will also feature the Pixels of Fury live design battle.
TYPO Night 2013. Photo © Alexander Blumhoff
Finally FontShop will give away great prices for its anniversary at the FontShop stand, and you will be able to acquire various items donated by FontShop and a number of TYPO speakers at a silent auction in the foyer (opposite the registration) in support of a good cause.
