Philosophy

About us

Finaltype is a collective of designers, artists and teachers.

We research and teach in the field of visual communication, applying both scientific and artistic methodology. As designers we strive for highest quality. As teachers and authors we encourage others to recognise quality, to appreciate it, and to join the discourse.

We question established practices in communication design.

Not only do we focus on the result, but also on the process behind it — on experiments, on methods, on didactics. In the 21st century not only the final result matters, but also the creative process itself and its positive effect on the designer. Finaltype is an attempt at revealing and documenting our process.

We envision Finaltype as a platform for exchanging knowledge.

We learn from each other both by internal communication and in public discourse. Finaltype is an expression of our continuous drive to learn. We actively seek out dialogue with experts and interested individuals – both in our field and across other disciplines of design.

Projects

As we work on our projects we continuously break conventions. A plethora of design rules is deeply rooted in history. We respect previous achievements in design and study historical sources. At the same time we always strive for progress. We research topics like form, perception, legibility and artistic communication. When it comes to applied projects with a focus on function, we take a human-centric approach. The combination of traditional, manual techniques and a contemporary digital approach is key to our work.

Responsibility

With Design comes responsibility. As designers, typographers and artists we are aware of our role in society. Design needs to be examined in an ethical, social and political light. We believe that every individual has a right to quality and participation. By publishing our work, our process and our opinions we want to start a conversation.

Art

We believe artistic expression is of great importance to every designer. Artistic work stabilises the creative rhythm, boosts self-confidence and reveals one’s true creative capability – therefore we emphasize the shared concepts of quality and of the creative process.

Teaching

Our goal is to find and foster talent and skill in motivated individuals and encourage them on their chosen path. Our didactic concept is rooted in years-long experience (Augsburger Schrifttradition). By combining both artistic projects and commercial work, we push our practices to a new level. We share our knowledge on this platform and in workshops.