For the past decade, I've engaged in numerous inspiring collaborations.
The primary core of my work has developed in cooperation with Barnbrook Studio, a design studio in London. In parallel, other projects have offered opportunities to learn and connect with colleagues from diverse environments, including type foundries, font distributors, design studios, publishers, and artists.
As a result of this variety of collaborators, my involvement with font-making has extended to multiple dimensions of the craft. I've included a more detailed description of those specialties in the Skillset section.
Learn & share
I've had a privileged path to cultivate oblique ways to learn from typography, design, and visual culture.
Over the years, I've participated in teaching and lecturing at local design schools in Bogotá, Colombia, my hometown. These activities began naturally in areas like Typography and Typeface Design, but gradually they have transitioned into the History of Graphic Design, especially emphasizing stories about Colombia and Latin America.
Along similar lines I've accompanied research activities at Imprenta Patriótica, a public printing museum in the outskirts of Bogotá. I'm delighted to have been one of their instructors in a programme for exchanging knowledge between young woodworkers and graphic designers. This exchange revolved around restoring a historical collection of wood types through the use of contemporary technologies.
I'm a graduate from the Master in Typeface Design at the University of Reading (2011) and a former resident at the ANRT in Nancy, France (2014). Through these experiences, I learned next to generous and inspiring peers and tutors. In turn, this led to other stimulating ventures, such as working as a Research Intern for Monotype in their historical archive, or planning and delivering type design courses for bachelor students as Sessional Lecturer at the University of Reading.
Observe & speak
Over the years I've been a speaker at various design events. These lectures have typically combined historical narrative with personal observations about current disciplinary issues.
On the surface, they have addressed diverse topics such as gender representation, the construction of design discourse, or just basic design principles. Nevertheless, they all explore issues related to how a young discipline —such as Typeface Design— is constructed, explained, and promoted by its practitioners.
The lectures have originated from pretty personal questions about my professional development, and they've been largely self-funded. I like to think there's something genuine and heartfelt about them.
You can actually check one of them online ✨.
Past Talks
2019, University of Patras. 7th ICTVC.
Histories and stories: Times New Roman and the history of type.
2019, CUN Ibagué. Tipos Latinos.
Mujeres y tipos, definiendo el diseño de tipos a través de temas de genero durante su historia.
2018, Antwerp. ATypI.
Embrace uncomfortable: some ideas about conventions, practice, and education in typeface design.
2016, ANRT, Nancy. Automatic Type Design 2.
Questioning Consistency: notions about the role of people and tools in shaping the future of typeface design.
2016, University of Thessaloniki. 6th ICTVC.
Ugly Face: An enquiry about consistency, aesthetics, and the design of typefaces for text.
2013, University of Nicosia. 5th ICTVC.
Typeface Design today: looking at the definition of a discipline through gender issues.
2012, Birmingham City University. Variations of a Typographer, Symposium.
Diverse voices: a perspective on gender and the development of Typeface Design.