How many typography conferences can one handle? Having two major ones separated by a mere three weeks may not be an ideal situation, but what can you do about it. The type world is currently migrating to Dublin in Ireland, where the annual ATypI conference will take place from 8 to 12 September. The location for the main conference sessions is the historic venue of Dublin Castle. The main conference is preceded by two days of workshops, seminars and special interest group meetings, including a stream on type technology and webfonts, at the Dublin Institute of Technology at Mountjoy Square. Judging from the #ATypI and #ATypI10 chatter on Twitter the attendees and speakers are quite excited about the conference. Please note that #ATypI10 is supposed to be the official Twitter hashtag for the conference, so if you're using #atypi2010 you may end up talking to yourself. ; )

Dublin Castle. Photo by Donaldytong

The line-up of speakers features many well-known typo-personalities, like Erik Spiekermann, David Berlow, James Mosley, Fiona Ross, Marian Bantjes, Jean François Porchez, Bas Jacobs, Oded Ezer, and Michael Everson. Programme highlights include collaborative type design on Saturday afternoon, several talks on Irish and non-Latin typography, and the inescapable web fonts.

ATypI 2010 Dublin: The Word officially kicks off on Thursday evening, September 9, with a keynote address by Robert Bringhurst. This poet, typographer, historian and linguist is known to the typographic community through his book The elements of typographic style, regarded by many as an essential work. Also speaking is writer, designer, and curator of the Cooper-Hewitt Museum Ellen Lupton, author of another typography classic: Thinking With Type.

However it looks like the conference already unofficially opens tonight. All conference attendees arriving today are cordially invited to the opening of Verena Gerlach's show Paradox Alg(i)er(s) at The Factory Space gallery. The opening from 6:30pm – 8:30pm is for invited guests and ATypI delegates and their partners.

Coiffeur by Verena Gerlach, two posters (censored and uncensored version) from the Alg(i)ers exhibition.

Verena's is but one of four incidents of exhibitionism this year. Type designer and calligrapher Timothy Donaldson will create a writing performance similar to ones he produced at previous events (including ATypI 07 Brighton's Pangram Wall). The Type Directors Club show in the Dublin Castle lower lobby consists of three exhibits: TDC 56, the winners of the 56th Annual International Competition, which showcases the best in typography for 2009; TDC2 2010 consists of the winners of the 12th annual Type Directors Club Typeface Design Competition and the inaugural competition, and TDC Intro 010 recognises the excellence of typography in title design. Finally the student exhibition letterlounge displays work from the students of the Dublin Institute of Technology and ENSAD, Paris.

Opening of the Type Directors Club exhibitions TDC 56, TDC2 2010, and TDCIntro 010 at The Cooper Union, New York. Photo by Karen Horton.

Other activities include a number of Jim Rimmer documentary Making Faces: Metal Type in the 21st Century on Thursday, and the book launch of Jean-Louis Michon's Ibn Ajiba, Two Treatises on the Oneness of Existence on Friday.

To stay updated remember to check either Conference news on the ATypI website, or the ATypI 2010 Facebook Page. I will add the details for the ATypI Dublin 2010 Flickr group as soon as it's been created.

I will be at the conference in Dublin from Thursday afternoon on. Don't hesitate to come up to me and say hi, especially if we haven't met in person yet. This is what I look like*. If we already have met I will definitely come up to you. ; )

* Except Saturday night after the Gala Dinner, then I'll probably look like this. : P