TipoType Award 2015 (Competition)

Fernando Díaz

After last year's success, we've released this year's Award! Emoticón smile

http://tipotype.com/award/

TipoType calls for Uruguayan and foreign designers to participate in the second TipoType Award. You can participate by sending your work until Sunday 20th September 2015, through the on-line form:http://tipotype.com/award/registrations/

Paul van der Laan

So the prize is to have the typeface in question released through your foundry TipoType?

Fernando Díaz

Hi Paul! Well, kind of... that's the last part.

The idea is to help young type designers to start earning profit from what they really like while having a lot of exposure and learning about the font market. We give them the opportunity to work with us sharing our own experience in the market, through a mentorship program that allows them to finish and publish their typeface through our foundry in a win-win situation.

So it's ment for designers who are at early stages and don't think that they can choose type design as a real, viable working career. 

Monotype used to do something similar back in the day but it was for designers that had much more experience.

Paul van der Laan

From the Rules of Participation I understand that you offer 12 distribution contracts, and only 6 mentorships. So not every winner appears to get a mentorship, correct?

As much as I appreciate the effort to promote young talent, and share experience and knowledge, I also find that the Rules of Participation leave room for questions:
• Is every winning typeface automatically tied to this distribution contract?
• Then what are the contents of this distribution contract exactly? I can’t find it on the website. What does it define in terms of exclusivity, royalty percentage, ownership, duration of the contract, warranties, termination conditions, etc.?

If you want to do this competition correctly, I think you should be crystal clear about all rules and conditions when people submit their typefaces. Stating that the prize is a mentorship does not appear to be correct in all cases.

Fernando Díaz

Thank you Paul for you insights

I will talk with Vicente so he can fix this issues, we had the Distibuition Contract online, but can't seem to find it. I will ask him to attach it to the Rules so every participant can read it before submitting their works.

The winning typefaces, once finished, will be commercialized via TipoType, but we don't ask for exclusiveness or demand the designer to finish the typeface in question.

The mentorship part is only valid for typefaces which are not yet finished, that's why we have 6 mentorships, and "up to" 12 contracts, because there could be finished typefaces that don't need mentorship. But perhaps it is somewhat unclear, we will try and make it more understandable.

Thank you once again,
Fernando.

PS: Here is what monotype had at the time:
http://typefacedesign.tumblr.com/post/31728309155/monotype-mentor-programme

Unlike us, they asked only for unreleased fonts to make a exclusive licensing.

Ramiro Espinoza

Fernando, again, please try to take as example the best and more honest practices of the type design world and not the dirty tricks that some companies employ from time to time.
A contest is a contest and a distribution offer is a distribution offer. If you want to look for designers for your foundry, just recruit or invite them in a more transparent way. 

Daniel Sabino

I would point out that this initiative leave room for some other questions, such as:

- should this really be called a “prize”? Isn’t “incentive” a better word?
- Also, are you willing to publish/work on/mentor 6 new typefaces until the next prize in 2016? Can you guarantee that all are relevant and will be well finished?

good luck, all the best

Fernando Díaz

Ramiro...

Thank you for your comments... I have nothing but respect for, but I have to say that I strongly disagree. We are not hiding anything, everything is on the website, we've just uploaded what Paul pointed out. And Ramiro, I think it's rude to say that we are doing dirty tricks, I never disrespected anyone from the type community, and I hope that no one does is to me... respect and understanding first.

Since it's first stages, typography has been a business... or do you think Gutenberg did it as a hobby? Type design is not meant only for elite people with postgraduate diplomas, there is room for everyone, and everybody should respect that. If you are personally mad at me for something, I'll be at AtypI, we could get a beer and talk it through.

Daniel,

Well, It's called prize because the first edition was started in 2010 with that name, and the name stuck, I don't see the problem if the rules are all on sight.

Yes, we are willing to mentor the projects (we don't work on the typeface unless is something more technical, like namings and such). Remember, not all of them are in construction, some need commercial guidance, strategy guidance or a platform to have more visibility and sales.

Thank you.

Ramiro Espinoza

I have nothing personal against you and I didn't say you were doing "dirty tricks". But I do think you seem to be interested in replicating business practices that are usually employed by abusive and/or dubious type companies. Of course you can try to make money and type design is a business, but there are many way to do business and I have the feeling you are not very interested in the most virtuous ones. Maybe I am wrong, but when I read the things you say and see what are the companies (Latin American and International) you are taking as example, I can't stop myself from getting worried.
But It's OK, I won't insist with my perhaps precipitated assumptions. 

Craig Eliason

It's worth noting the Morisawa competition's structure. There is an award for excellence in type design (the "Morisawa Award") for which all entrants are submitted, and also an award for typefaces to be commercialized by the Morisawa company (the "Akashi Award"), for which entry is at the designer's option. 

Fernando Díaz

Ramiro, 

The thing is that some of us lack the talent or time to make virtuous typeface (hopefuly yet), or unfortunately don't have the money to be able to study a postgraduate in type design. I've learnt type design basically by my own means, and I will continue to do it, trying to improve always, to be better at what I do, because I really love what I do. 

Thank you for your opinions, I value them.