Why is that 'funny'? Seems rather typical to me. Most graphic designer suck and architecture. Most architects suck at Web Design. Most Web Designers suck at Fashion design... ;o)

I think we assume all to often that 'design' is some universal skill that applies easily to any medium, which isn't always the case.

Maybe I wasn´t clear enough... I didn´t mean to as radical as graphic design vs architecture (and I believe that an architect IS a designer, either they like it or not, and designers aren´t frustrated architects as many people think... but that's another issue). What I wanted to point out is that typography is complex and in order to draw typefaces, the designer needs to have some knowledge on editorial design, text composing, format, layout... in order to achieve a certain goal of drawing a specific typeface for a specific usage, and consider perceptual issues and "laws" of graphic design. It reminds me of using wonderfully designed stones and build a horrible house with it... or play tecno with a gibson guitar...

It doesn´t sound right.... of course there are remakable examples of good layout, but sometimes I get really disapointed.

Do you know many graphic designers doing typefaces of the quality of the ones from H&FJ as example?

A typeface designer draw more, think about forms, counters, in a human sense, a graphic designer do that but also play with concepts, meanings, etc. Indeed booth do the same, but not at the same proportion in their everyday job.

This is particularly true for students: you can have a great student in use of typography but suddenly very bad in typeface design, when the student from Illustration section is very good in typeface design. Clearly not the same skills.

But this sort of "Rules" can't be true for all, Erik Speikermann is the best example of a great designer for everything, even if for typeface design, he always point out that he is bad when its time to finish or expand an idea.

seml...I guess I'd argue that typeface design is as unique a design discipline as is graphic design or architecture design. People that get really good at one particular aspect of design tend to focus solely on that one aspect/medium.

A heart surgeon and a dermatologist are both doctors, but they really live in their own subset worlds of medicine.