TDN Jan '24 Update
About the future of the tdn newsletter <3
Happy New Year y’all!
I’d like to kick off the year by saying that I am sorry for how long it’s been and how inconsistent I have been with sharing anything TDN-related. Sometimes things happen in life that make personal ventures and projects seem a little inconsequential, and it’s hard to rebound from that. My personal things and the state of the world aside, I’m feeling ready to get back into the Type Du Nord of it all.
As you may have noticed, the monthly email cadence isn’t really working for me — I seem to skip it more than write it. Sometimes there is too much to write and other times not enough to show for a months worth of work. It feels like there’s almost too much pressure on it? It sounds silly but it’s truly how it is. Lately, I have been thinking about this email a lot and what has worked for me in the past. My conclusion is that the weekly email was the most fulfilling and easiest for me to write. It’s almost like I build a little routine around it and it’s a lot less pressure to look all buttoned up every time.
Therefore, I have come up with something mutually beneficial to you and me. I would like to use the weekly email to share the process of starting my foundry and making type. It will be geared towards people who are interested in starting their own foundry or are simply interested in what happens in the background. You’ll learn from my wins and big ol’ flops. Because for better or worse, I am an honest person and I tend to overshare in these emails.
Here is how it will work: I will send out a monthly update as I have (sometimes) been doing for free and it will remain free. But for those interested in a more in-depth weekly process email or would simply like to support TDN, I will be charging a small monthly fee of $5. It will come with some additional perks like future discount codes and early access to typeface releases and merch. I also think there will be room for some Q+A and maybe giving subscribers type feedback publicly? I’m not totally sure yet but I am excited about the possibilities.
I know pitching this after months of being MIA might not be a total sell, so I will be sharing January weekly emails for free. At the end of the month ya’ll can decide if that is something you’d be interested paying for. I am treating this as an experiment and am going to try not to take it personally if it catastrophically fails!! It’s always been my goal to grow this humble email into something bigger and I am excited to give it a try.
In other news, I am teaching two more classes through Type Electives this spring! I am teaching a Revival Class starting at the end of this month and the regular Crash Course in March. I think you’ve all heard the pitch plenty of times at this point but please visit typeelectives.com to learn more and join us for a super fun and approachable place to learn about letters. Also today is the last day to sign up for a scholarship! Get more info here. <3
I have some other updates about my website, and Weightless that I will share in the coming weeks but I think this email is already too long!! It feels good to be back <3
And because I can’t ever help myself, 5 Things I’ve Been Into Lately:
My internet friend and fellow type designer, Tamara Pilz, has started her own monthly type design project. I am beyond excited for it!! Her teaser project (Baubles) is so good! The project will officially commence in March and you can subscribe here! Did I mention the fonts will be available for free??
In November, I was lucky enough to take a Typographic Knitting workshop through the Letterform Archive. Rüdiger Schlomer was so insightful and I learned so much. I highly recommend the workshop and his book if you are a knitter! Here is a project I made for my beloved Alex with the skills I learned in the class:
My friend Kel Troughton is teaching another Graffiti class through Type Electives! I was able to join his summer course and it was so good! Highly recommend!
I’m editing this email at 1am because I made myself some late night hot cocoa with some fancy drinking chocolate not remembering that cocoa has caffeine in it. It’s so fkn delicious and I’d recommend it for anytime before 11pm. My fave is the Numi brand.
If you’re like me and can’t seem to work to anything but dirty, cheesy, absolutely over-the-top disgusting club music, I put together a fun little mix for us. I needed a new playlist to work to (new year, new playlist??) and I thought I’d share. However, I left out any song that includes that weird woman baby voice that sounds like they’re talking seductively through their teeth — iykyk.
Love you and missed you!
Libbie
Thanks for the shout-out! Looking forward to your foundry updates.