Sorry to go off on a tangent here Eben, but when is ATypI going to get professional with its corporate communications—in particular copywriting?

I've recently taken issue with the text for the Letter.2 competition, (and it was changed—thanks José).
And now this.

What's the big deal with the T-shirt?
It's little details like this that grind. For instance, by replacing "a structure" from the ATYpI About page by "the structure" here, you go from understated fact to self-aggrandizing fibbing. Because Typophile, for instance, is also *a* structure for communication, information and action amongst the international type community.

And what is the distinction in mentioning both "information…amongst" and "communication…amongst"? And what noun(s) does the preposition "amongst" qualify—structure, or the three "-ions" in the subordinate clause? Your writing is perfectly acceptable for a personal post to Typophile, but as corporate communication, I'm afraid it is too amateurish.

I would argue with using the word "premier".

To give you some idea of the proper way to do things, I was asked a couple of years ago to moderate a panel discussion at the RGD's Design Thinkers conference. When I showed up for the gig, I was given a sheet of paper with my introductory text prepared, "Hello, my name is Nick Shinn…" which continued with a short bio of myself and the panelists, and an introduction to the topic. That shows the kind of control that an organization's information officer can exert. It's all about consistent branding, and words are just as much a part of that as typography and design.

Nick, I am afraid it was just a cut and paste job. I simply wanted to let people know that registration is available - quickly. ...And to give a bit of context.

Many people know what this event is - but not everybody. It isn't really my text. The writing isn't pro because it is done by volunteers. Simple really... Also, mine would be worse I suspect.

I have changed the "the" to "a" the the top post. I quite agree about that. I'll ask them to change the web site as well.

Perhaps the non profit type orgs will get someone in charge of this "branding thing" at some point. But it will still need to be a a volunteer thing. How good will it be?

James, it is easy to be "premier" when you are arguably the only world wide org in the category. But just for argument sake - on what org would you place that mantle? But also so much kveching,..

>That shows the kind of control that an organization's information officer can exert.

Does that officer come with a badge?

I was kind of affronted that she thought I couldn't introduce myself, so I ignored her text and ad libbed.
Haven't been asked back since…

I would argue that the TDC has a larger membership, both US and international. But the TDC does not have a French name. Is having a French name a requirement to be an international organization?

My perception...

TDC is a New York organization that allows non New Yorkers to join. New York is apparently the “capital of the world” so that makes it global.

ATypI is a French organization but has international(e) in its name.

SoTA is a North American organization, but tends to deemphasize the Canadian "element".

Seems to me that SoTA is the only one not proclaiming to be the premier spot for typography and stuff like that. Does that mean that it actually is?

Edit: Effin tanglefingers...

How many attend typographic events like Typo Berlin, TDC events, TypeCon, etc. as compared to ATyPI?

I'm not saying that the TDC is the premier anything. I just don't think ATypI is either. I'm mean it holds one conference a year and the occasional other thing.

As to attendance the TDC holds an average of four events a month that are attended by anywhere from 25-120 people.

The TDC does send its show around the world, and its Annual is distributed internationally.

I suggest the ATypI claim to hold the premier international Typography conference, and then they can duke it out with TypoBerlin.

I'd like to see that.

Si, for the longest time ATypI headquarters was in West New York, New Jersey. French?

FWIW, the TDC is experimenting with webcasting to make it less of an NYC-centered organization.

In many ways were are spoiled for choice with events happening in NYC, Berlin, Brighton, London and then the roving conferences ATypI and SoTA's TypeCon. And more contests than ever as well.

In any event, I will be enjoying iceland ahead of the event - roving about on mountains and getting soaked in lagoons of some kind. It is going to be good to view a bit of the sub-arctic again. Taking a page out of Shu's book I also have a sweet place picked out to stay in!

>How many attend typographic events like Typo Berlin, TDC events, TypeCon, etc. as compared to ATyPI?

I think it goes about like this, but they can correct me if I'm wrong: Typo Berlin 5,327, TDC events 96-564, TypeCon 647, ATyPI 538, SPECTORem 12.

>...for the longest time ATypI headquarters was in West New York, New Jersey

The longest time? I'm having trouble parsing.

Also consider that some conferences are produced and directed by organization members and are just a part of their organization's activities. While a separate huge block of conferences, from & to SXSW, are conference-based entities with annual, or semi-annual rites and not another thing to do, because the conference (and/or their real jobs), is enough.

The distance between any of these and old-ATypI is incomprehensible to anyone who didn't attend in those days. No guests not a spouse or child, No presentations except the state of the association, Two buses for outings, one for the men and one for the rest, and almost no discussion of what anyone was going to do, how, or what they had done, or why, typographically or technically over the past year or the next.

The "workshop" conference at Stanford started changing the latter. Type90 the blew lid off it, and TypeLab kept anyone from putting the lid back on, for longest time.

Lookout! SoTA members should be getting an email giving them a discount code for ATypI Reykjavík soon.

"How many attend typographic events like Typo Berlin, TDC events, TypeCon, etc. as compared to ATyPI?"

Typo Berlin runs several thousand people. It is far and away the largest.

TypeCon has varied quite a bit over the years. It started out very small (under a hundred), gradually ramped up until it was running at 400-550 (maybe San Francisco was the high water mark?), and then has declined a bit in recent years to be more like 200-350. I'm imagining that timing it right after the 4th of July in hotter climates allows for an inexpensive venue, but those same two factors may have also hurt attendance.

ATypI has mostly run pretty consistently around 300-350 for the last six years or more, with very occasional upwards bumps for assorted reasons. I expect Reykjavik will run around 300, maybe a little less due to the economy combining with it not being as obvious a "destination" location as say Dublin was. But I think the lineup of talks is looking great!

I can't speak to attendance at various kinds of TDC events.

Regards,

T

Typo is actually much smaller than I said. Sorry.

@jm

French adds a needed touch of exlusivity and condescension.
Absolutely mandatory. :)

But Type Director's Club is kind of lame, too.
How about the 36th Street Knights Of Type - it's not a gang, it's club!
I can just see the logo for the leather jackets....

Since you see the TDC as a gang and not a club Richard, let me make it real for you.

**** you!

Actually, I was just going for a play on the word "club". And the absurdity of some of the members, who I've met personally, riding up on Harleys, en masse, for a presentation on something like the "Duality of Design" tickled me, I guess.

If you are indeed serious, there was no smear of any kind intended. Nor anything veiled, surfacing Freudian-like, either.

This next week, I was going to catch up on my memberships to SOTA and ATYPI.
And since I still have a residence in New York, which I'm hoping to get to a bit more next year, I had been looking at the activities of the TDC with great interest.
And was planning on writing a blog post about the three organizations.

To paraphrase Groucho: I've got a good mind to join the club, and beat you over the head with it!

Besides, it would be nostalgic for me: 36th between 7th and 8th is my old business neighborhood. Ran a contracting shop two blocks up.

Typo Berlin runs several thousand people. It is far and away the largest.
Who told you that, Thomas? Typo Berlin is big, but not *that* big. It can hold a maximum of 1500 attendees.

And despite the name, Typo Berlin is more about graphic design in general than type design in particular. In that sense it is not entirely fair to compare it with ATypI or TypeCon.

I could have sworn that I heard there were 3000 attendees at Typo Berlin when I spoke there in 2008? But perhaps I misremember. In any case, several times the size of the others, even if not a whole order of magnitude larger.

I agree that Typo Berlin has a different focus, more on typography within current graphic design. It has none of the academic talks one sometimes sees at ATypI, no talks aimed at type designers and type foundries as audience members, and little of the other material one sees on designing type. But I figure maybe half the talks one sees at ATypI or TypeCon would be ones that would also be welcome at Typo Berlin?

SoTA members should be getting an email giving them a discount code for ATypI Reykjavík soon.

Members of the Type Directors Club have received a similar message from Carol Wahler last week. Every TDC member is getting a 10 per cent discount on registration for the ATypI conference in Reykjavík. Details posted on both TDC and ATypI Web sites.

I can't find any specific info on the ATypI site about events and activities -- unless, as Eben writes, it is the "opening reception the evening before, [and] an evening party." For example, the registration page says:

Partners/spouses who will not attend the sessions but only attend the surrounding activities - $250

What "surrounding activities," precisely, does one get for their $250?

Christopher's question was eventually answered off-list. It turns out what you get is... food.