The International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD) is a professional body

Professional body

A professional association is usually a nonprofit organization seeking to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals engaged in that profession, and the public interest.The roles of these professional associations have been variously defined: "A group of people in a...

 run by and for typographers, graphic designers, and educators. The society has an international membership and its aims are to establish and maintain standards of typography and to provide a forum for debate.

History

The ISTD was originally formed as the British Typographers' Guild (BTG) in 1928 when Vincent Steer and friends met in a Sicilian restaurant in Holborn

Holborn

Holborn is an area of Central London. Holborn is also the name of the area's principal east-west street, running as High Holborn from St Giles's High Street to Gray's Inn Road and then on to Holborn Viaduct...

, to found the society. Steer recognized the need and the potential for the creative typographer's skills in a world where most 'design' was carried out through compositors' layouts. From his own background in printing, and the opportunity to observe the trade in America, he determined to develop the profession of typography in the UK, and to that end started the British Typographers Guild with six other like-minded founding members.

In 1953 the guild became the Society of Typographic Designers (STD), and in 2008, recognizing its influence in other countries, and at the behest of then President Colin Banks

Colin Banks

Colin Banks co-founder of Banks & Miles, designers and typographers, founded in London in 1958 with partner John Miles...

, it became the International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD).

TypoGraphic

TypoGraphic is the journal of the ISTD and was first published in 1971. Selected writings from 30 years of TypoGraphic were published in an anthology in 2001.

A complete set of TypoGraphic journals is available at the St Bride Library

St Bride Library

St Bride Library is a library in London primarily devoted to printing, book arts, typography and graphic design...

.

ISTD International Typographic Awards

The ISTD runs the International Typographic Awards which are held as an appraisal of current standards in typographic design and are judged by some of today's leading graphic, interactive and typographic design specialists:

• A Certificate of Excellence, awarded to all finalists, signifies a high standard of design in conjunction with a high standard of typography.

• Premier Awards, awarded to designers of outstanding submissions, are offered for work that has not only met the criteria for the award of a Certificate of Excellence, but which is also considered outstanding by a majority of the jurors.

• The winning submission, selected from all of the Premier Awards, is judged to be the most significant typographical achievement, exemplifying excellence.

The ISTD Awards are held every two years, with the next award occurring during in 2011.

Categories of membership

The ISTD has several categories of membership, some with designatory postnominals:

• Honorary Fellowship (HonFISTD) is awarded in recognition of outstanding typographic design work, or significant contribution to the aims of, or service to, the ISTD or the typographic industry.

• Fellowship (FISTD) is awarded in recognition of the nominee's professional standing or for their services to the ISTD.

• Membership (MISTD) is open to all practising typographers, graphic designers, and educators who show, by submission of their typographic design work, or through evidence of competence in their field of activity, that their professional ability has reached the high standard required by the ISTD.

• Student Membership is open to students who successfully complete the Student Assessment Scheme.

• Corporate membership is open to design organizations, companies, and other commercial institutions to support the ISTD.

ISTD Student Assessment Scheme

An annual assessment, started in 1975, allows students to gain entry to the ISTD. This is achieved by assessment of their work applied to a rigorous brief (which is different for each year), and is open to those registered on a recognised full-time course.