The idea to begin the program started early on.

The program was founded by Rachel Elnar & Michael Stinson in their studio while practicing annual report, brand identity, and interactive design since 2003.

Rachel started teaching again after a 9-year hiatus and noticed that many of the college foundation classes were replaced with software classes. Michael observed that when typography was taught, it was not with the depth and detail in which he learned it, back when type was sent out for galleys and design was sent to printers on mechanical boards. When he juried design competitions for Graphis and the One Show, the repeated comment he heard among the jury about the entries was the lack of type sensitivity. Apparently, type skills were also absent in the professional world.

Out of the need to help employees, friends and mostly their own college students, TypeEd was born. In 2012, the founders began to formalize their typographic fundamentals and Michael’s production method into practical applications. In 2013, workshops and clinics were added as a hands-on extension to the classes.

Our Mission

Our mission is to educate designers, students and practitioners on the fundamental skills of typography. Graphic designers deserve a strong typographic foundation to practice typesetting, improve the quality of communication and readability, and preserve the integrity of design.

The lack of typographic skills within design teams places a huge training burden on design firms, ad agencies and other creative industries. Our program exists to train those who are missing typography education, and serves as a bridge between higher education and the professional workplace.

The ability to create effective typography for its fundamental purpose for clear communication and effective design is the result of a ground-level training, and we’re here to help. We communicate the rules and intricacies of typography with software, but teach students to set type in any situation and use their eye to make design decisions, no matter what tool they use.