TypeCon is an annual conference gathering typographers, designers, and type lovers in one city for a week of talks, workshops, and events focusing on typography and related arts. We partnered with the conference organizers at Society of Typographic Aficionados to develop a guide to the 2015 conference (set in Denver, CO), and were thrilled when they brought on Kyle Read of Badson Studio as the designer.
Kyle designed a beautiful, accessible guide to Denver. It moves chronologically through a conference-goer’s day, with suggestions for coffee, lunch, drinks, the best pizza in town, and more. For the design, he used an unreleased typeface from Samarskaya and Partners.
We asked Kyle to answer a few questions:
Pick three adjectives that best describe Badson Studio its work.
Empowered, Efficient, Considered.
Okay, you can use a few more words. What kind of work do you do?
The way we like to put it is that Badson is a type foundry and design studio attached at the hip. On the studio side, we design for clients that believe in high level of communication through typography and lettering. We’ve worked with lots of clients in several different industries from the restaurant world to the financial. On the type foundry side, we’re working into new type families, both commissioned and for retail sale, that can achieve the elegant level of expression folks are looking for. Ultimately, we’re letting the studio inform the foundry work, and the foundry inform the studio work… it’s a cool way to develop into design solutions.
What made the Scout Books format a good fit for the TypeCon Guide Books?
Scout Books were the right solution for their size, handiness, and customizability. TypeCon is a fun and dynamic conference that changes its look and feel as it picks a different city to host every year. This year, the Denver conference needed to reflect the excitement its energetic and burgeoning design scene to all the national and international attendees. We were able to fill the pages of a Scout Book with exactly what we needed to get folks to acclimate to the Denver vibe right away.
Tell me a highlight or two from your experience at TypeCon.
TypeCon was packed with some really great speakers this year. The keynotes from Marian Bantjes and Nicholas Felton were memorable. But the real memories come from the after-parties and conversations held over beers throughout the week. Badson held its own kick-off party at the beginning of the week to announce the launch of our own retail types. That was definitely a highlight.
What was the best thing you ate in Denver?
Best thing to eat in Denver… as if you could ever pick just one thing. I’d say the best thing I’ve ever eaten in Denver was a “Devil on Horseback” at Linger.
What’s your dream project?
We have a pretty good list of projects we’d love to execute on our site, badsonstudio.com. But a real ultimate get would be a new brand, perhaps in men’s fashion or local restaurant, that would go for a complete custom type experience from the ground up. From branding, to art direction, to development of a custom typeface, to print and web material, a project where typography and lettering are really firing on all cylinders to form a brand experience would be the dream. It’s definitely not out of reach.