TypeCon New Orleans 2011

New Orleans! America’s second city (after New York)(my biased opinion). This TypeCon was awesome simply because of the location. It was ridiculously hot and humid, but between the ice cold hotel and the never-ending strips of bars with live music the weather was completely bearable.

The city had an interesting and unexpected effect on the attendees. Normally at every other conference after the last talk of the day people linger in the lobby for thirty minutes to an hour or more trying to figure out plans for the evening, where to eat, etc. Here though it was strange. Minutes after the final talks there was a rapid exodus and the hotel became empty. It was generally nice, being in smaller groups that varied from day to day. This made organization quicker as well as finding tables in restaurants easier. It was a welcomed contrast to the regularly 20-30 person groups wandering the streets for a large enough dinner table.

Since this was a conference I should mention a few highlights:

Ed Benguiat: Always a showman.

The Cherokee alphabet and a desperate cry for more fonts: Presented by Joseph Erb, Roy Boney, & Jeff Edwards, they explained the history and current typographic status of the Cherokee Nation.

The Type Crit: Extra special with Ed Benguiat giving his 4 cents at every opportunity. The spectacle concluded with a lettering showdown between Ed and John.