TypeWalk'in

We are two Indian type designers who conduct type walks in different Indian cities. Our session will be a conversation about our process and perspectives on hosting type walks. Our walks refocus typographic history, which is usually Western-centric, to stories and uses that can be experienced in our public spaces. We will talk about how we frame signs and letterforms to initiate a dialogue with walk participants about viewing this history as more than just an abstract construct only to be read in books, but as something that can be seen in our own neighbourhoods, and interpreted in the context of architecture; social, political and economic developments; and, popular culture. Through our session, we will examine how value and prestige is assigned to different typographic objects, and argue that archives and resources, so necessary for type appreciation, need not be in libraries and museums alone. In the absence of readily-available traditional facilities and material, we have seized our cities as living, breathing typographic archives, and we believe so can anyone else! With the help of virtual tours of our favourite local typographic spots, we will share our love and interest for making all things type more accessible — how and why did we begin running type walks, what goes into preparing for one, and what we have learned from our successes and failures.