It's not just the schnapps number that gives cause for celebration: the 44th edition of the TDC Annual also presents a wealth of typographic delicacies from all over the world. A treat for typographers and fans of good design.
Text: Herbert Lechner
It is well known that in the 1940s, New York agency typographers met after work for a relaxed exchange of ideas and to present their work to each other. The elite circle gradually opened up, with Beatrice Warde becoming the first typographer to join in 1960, and outstanding work has been documented in the "TDC Annual" since 1980. The - not always uncontroversial - selection has since been regarded as the most important indicator of international typographic quality. Whether the annual really brings together "The World's Best Typography", as the title promises, remains to be seen. In any case, it offers a unique mixture of classic and experimental, often surprising to irritating type solutions that reflect the diverse spectrum of innovative contemporary typography. Previous accusations that the jurors favored American or Western submissions too much or were even "racist" in their selection should be obsolete with this edition.
The high proportion of awards for female typographers is also striking, which is very much in line with current trends. This is not the only reason why this is an exciting journey of discovery into new typefaces and new typefaces.
Incidentally, the TDC Annual has been published by Hermann Schmidt Verlag in Mainz for a number of years, which fortunately guarantees a correspondingly high-quality realization. In this edition, for example, you can look forward to a thread-stitched hardcover with embossing.
The World's Best Typography. The 44th Annual of the Type Directors Club 2023
Verlag Hermann Schmidt
352 fully illustrated pages
ISBN 978-3-87439-967-8
69,- Euro
Paula Scher also has a remarkable flair for typography, here you can find out more about the American designer ...