Type Directors Club (TDC)

The 54th show of the Type Directors Club of New York (TDC) is poised to stage its world premiere at drupa 2008. From unassuming beginnings as an internal club competition instigated by a few typo freaks from New York’s Madison Avenue, what is now regarded the most important type and graphic design competition in the world has emerged. A commendation from the Type Directors Club of New York (TDC) is today regarded as the “Oscar of Typography“, representing a career springboard and a significant spot as far as creative ranking is concerned. Wherever the TDC Show goes, trendsetting typographic and font design specialists meet to exchange opinions and also to think outside the box – a further indication of the major importance of the TDC competition. Routinely up to 2 500 submissions are received from up to 35 countries.

The rating system is as simple as it is pragmatic and is impressively democratic. Each member of the jury decides independently whether a submission is deserving of an award. If it is, a chip is thrown into the relevant cup. More than four chips means it qualifies for an award.

The best and most attractive submissions can be seen and admired by visitors to drupa in Hall 4, Stand F 51. Even the stand itself is a feast for the eyes: students from the Department of Design at the Technical University of Würzburg-Schweinfurt have designed and crafted the stand as part of a coursework project. The result is there for all to see.

The Type Directors Club was established in 1946 in New York. Agency typographers reorganised their regular meetings into a club whose aim was to raise the level of typography and the graphic arts associated with typography, as well as to create an incentive to carry out research, promote training and spread information about the typographic arts. These objectives are being implemented through a wide range of activities: seminars, publications, lectures and – of course – through that most important medium, the TDC competition.