If the article on TypeCon ‘98 attracted your interest, then perhaps you’re wondering what the sponsoring organization, the Society of Typographic Aficionados (SOTA), is all about and where we plan to go from here. As the name suggests, SOTA is intended to be an organization for anyone who is interested in type, whether as a creator, a user, or, as in my case, simply an art appreciator. Our mission is to increase public awareness and appreciation of the art and history of typography and its function in creating beautiful and successful communication. We define ourselves as a non-profit cultural organization, and intend to incorporate as such sometime in the near future.
The idea for SOTA and TypeCon first came about a few years ago when I developed an aesthetic interest in type as a design element. Naturally, I wanted to learn more about it. Though my searches through books and magazines were helpful, my experience organizing literary conferences had taught me that the best way to learn about something was to spend time in the company of people with the same interest. Since existing conferences were either too far away or priced beyond my budget (with the price structure seeming to reflect the assumption that all attendees were on expense accounts), I decided to use that organizing experience to produce a conference that people like me could afford to attend.
P>How does our progress to date reflect those goals? Despite the low attendance of the first TypeCon, we've done pretty well. We‘ve already had a definite impact among the ranks of “indie” type designers, who see TypeCon as a potential rallying point of the sort they’ve not had to date (and we’re more than happy to fill that role). We were also happy that our programming successfully engendered the kind of informal back-and-forth interaction between audience and panelist/presenters that we were hoping for, and that it maintained a balance between practical advice, historical background, and aesthetic reflection. The challenge now is to extend the reach of our programming to give as valuable an experience to all of the other kinds of type lovers (graphic designers, publishers, print historians and scholars, and those who simply appreciate type for its aesthetic qualities) that we hope to attract.
Of course, the best way to do this is to expand our own ranks, both to get continuous feedback from type fans on how to make TypeCon reflect their own interest and to encourage a few more people to join the working committee (a very small group at present). We are now accepting memberships in SOTA for US$15 (good until the next TypeCon, which currently looks to be the weekend of June 16-18, 2000). Benefits include all publications for the next TypeCon, and a US$15 discount on the conference fee (whatever the price is at the time you buy it). Once we incorporate, it will also include the right to attend our Annual Meeting and associated voting privileges (in person or by proxy). Other members-only features will be added as members come up with ideas and as resources become available to implement them.
You can reach SOTA by e-mail at sota@naisp.net, by phone at (508) 643-2247 (leave a message), or by mail at PO Box 673, Mansfield, MA 02048-0673. Join us!