We are honored to announce this year’s competition jury, a robust lineup of global creative leaders with impeccable type knowledge.

These jurors have been carefully selected by the Presidents of the three Disciplines (Communication Design, Lettering, and Type Design, and reviewed by our illustrious advisory board to ensure the highest standards of expertise. We’ve included experts across a broad range of writing systems so that the work can be judged more thoughtfully.

Discipline President Lisa Smith (Communication Design), Mary Kate McDevitt (Lettering), and Aleksanda Samulenkova (Type Design) have compiled a list of jury members whose qualifications stagger even our type-jaded minds.

In future weeks we’ll be showing off this staggering expertise in more detail, showcasing individual talents

Taking place on March 13, 2026 at Fordham University at Lincoln Center (113 W 60th St. in New York) Type Drives Commerce is a curated series of keynotes, panel discussions, and one-on-one chats, designed to directly engage a broad range of players in the typographic ecosystem. It brings together people who rarely sit in the same room — designers who create typefaces and lettering systems, creative operations teams that manage the assets and tools, and brand leaders who fund it — for a rare 360-degree view of the current typographic landscape, fostering community and creative growth.

Type Drives Commerce looks at typography as a driver of value, not just in terms of financial bottom lines, but in terms of how it elevates connection, culture, and community.

Conference lineup:

Audrie Poole, Executive Producer, Partner, Sunday Afternoon, New York

Gary Fogelson, Partner, Other Means, Brooklyn

Jeremy Mickel, Founder & Creative Director, MCKL Design, Los Angeles

John Kudos, Managing Partner, KUDOS Design Collaboratory, New York

Jolene Delisle, Founder, The Working Assembly, New York

Lauren Hom, Letterer, Illustrator, Hom Sweet Hom, Detroit, USA

Min Lew, Managing Partner, Executive Creative Director, BASE Design, New York

Rich Tu, Executive Creative Director, Partner, Sunday Afternoon, New York

Teddy Blanks, Title Designer, CHIPS, Brooklyn

Zipeng Zhu, Artist, Creative Director, Dazzle, New York

Additional speakers to be announced.

Every winning entrant stands tall among the world’s best typographic practitioners. But even within this lofty cohort, some works stand above the rest. So this year, TDC is introducing the Type-High award in Gold, Silver, and Bronze. This special award recognizes the best of the best in each discipline.