The western alphabet is one of the greatest conventions achieved by our culture in an effort to systematize its communicative codes. Its conservation and enrichment has historically taken place in technologic and economic development centers by means of the typographic design. Recently, due to the spreading of accessible technology, this discipline has gone global and Latin America stands as one of the regions with the most significant growth in terms of typographic production. This increase has given a new meaning to the cultural role played by the design of alphabets in the region.
Different events organized by TipoGráfica magazine in 2001, the birth of Latin Letters website in 2002, followed by the 1st Latin Letters Biennial (2004) and the 2nd Latin Letters Biennial (2006), brought about the appearance of Tipos Latinos (Latin Types) in 2008, as a continuity to this foundational stage in which Latin Letters, led by Rubén Fontana, contributed to put on the map and foster the development of typographic knowledge in Latin America.
Nowadays, the Biennial represents the most important space in terms of typographic design in the area, and it is made up of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
For its sixth edition, Tipos Latinos will be displaying 78 typographic projects created by authors from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela and UK. Cuba (a member country of Tipos Latinos since 2010) is going to open the Biennial with the exhibition of posters, on April 24 at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Havana. Throughout the year, the rest of the member countries will be exhibiting the show at the corresponding venues.
The Jury of the 6th Latin American Typography Biennial got together in Valparaiso, Chile, to evaluate 501 projects received during the public call. By the end of the third day, after a free deliberation, the jury members handpicked the 78 projects to be included in 2014 Tipos Latinos. The Jury was made up of prestigious Latin American typographers Miguel Catopodis (Argentina), Manuel Eduardo Corradine M. (Colombia), Domingo Villalba (Venezuela), Gustavo Soares (Brazil), Fernando Diaz (Uruguay), David Kimura (Mexico), Javier Quintana (Chile), and Rubén Salinas (Bolivia).
THEORETICAL EVENT
Cuban professionals are going to debate and display typographic projects. The event is set to take place at the theater of the Higher Design Institute of Cuba (Belascoaín 710 between Estrella and Maloja, Central Havana).
2:00 P.M. - 5:00 p.m.
MONDAY APRIL 28
Give Me Sabon, Give Me Trade Gothic. Fabián Muñoz
Show of recent works. Two typographic families that provide the peace needed to get a good idea.
Letters with Impulse. Nelson Ponce
Commentary on graphic solutions where a verbal message gets materialized with drawn letters.
Go Play! Raupa
Basic pieces of advice from the designer experience to work on typography, reading time, color and composition, when facing an audiovisual material.
TUESDAY APRIL 29
Educated Bats. Jorge Méndez
On the design-printing house relation.
Seeing You and Reading You Better: Works with Typographies for Editorial Design. Alexis M. Rodríguez Diezcabezas (10k)
Experiences on the use of typographic families when it comes to creating editorial profiles for seriated and academic publications.
Spelling Page by Page. Pepe Nieto
Typography as the essence of editorial design. Personal experiences in the selection and use of typography as a distinctive feature of an editorial product’s character.
WEDNESDAY APRIL 30
Some Letters on Their Own. Juan Carlos Pérez
The visual experience as the essence of a typographic identity.
Typographic Expression. Laura Llópiz
Typography as a mean of expression, not only communication. Typography substituting image.
The Letters I’ve Seen. Pepe Menéndez
A tour around the experience of designing, collecting and taking pictures aimed at typographic forms.
FRIDAY MAY 2
The Typographic Education at Today’s ISDi. Alfredo Aguilera
A panoramic approach to the present typographic education at the Higher Design Institute. Main transformations and results.
Letters for Design, Letters for Art. Daniel DeMilán
Presentation of typographic signs for design and art projects.
Light Talk on Ultrabold Topic. Arnulfo Espinosa
Presentation of graphic design works where letters play the leading role.
