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Type Directors Club

Graphic Design
InDesign
Type Directors Club

Revitalizing a Storied Brand
The Challenge
Those of us in the design community are no stranger to the Type Directors Club. Yet after 70 years, the membership association’s numbers were stagnant. Outside of its annual competitions, the TDC was struggling to tell its own story.

The Outcome
Rather than rebrand, we reinvigorated the existing system, elevating opportunities to speak up and stand out. We poured our energy into a welcome kit and website designed to remind the world that when it comes to type, the TDC reigns supreme.


Type Drives Culture
Recognizing the opportunity presented by more people taking an interest in type, the TDC adopted a new positioning statement. Equal parts provocative and playful, it’s ripe with potential for witty wordplay and secondary messaging.


Web Redesign:
Telling the TDC Story
We reorganized the information architecture and created a values-based top-level menu, giving visitors a sense of what the TDC’s all about: Recognizing Excellence, Supporting Growth and Building Community. Then we cleaned up content so they could quickly take action.


Communication Strategy:
Creating Clear Guidelines
We took stock of every TDC channel, articulating clear goals and recommendations for each, from Twitter and Instagram to competition microsites and TDC central. Coupled with brand guidelines, those recommendations coalesced into a robust, user-friendly resource.


Membership Outreach:
Welcome Kit
Low-hanging, yet oft-neglected fruit: showing gratitude to the folks who make you what you are. To welcome new members to the TDC community, we designed a thoughtful print piece, equal parts sophisticated and curious, with a strong dose of storytelling.
Type, Texture and Layers of Meaning
We used typographic gestures, photography, different color stocks and die-cuts to capture the full expressive range of the TDC—from authoritative to eccentric. Layered, nested sheets and peak-through moments reveal the many ways type affects culture, creativity and community.
Repeating Elements
Inner nested sheets feature anchoring elements like the TDC dot, tying the tactile back the digital space for a harmonious, end-to-end member experience.


Upon launch, the TDC.org saw a huge spike in traffic.
Daily users grew from 450 to over 1,000. The organization's social media manager dove headfirst into the Brand Guide, reporting back the value of having all brand everything summed up so concisely in one handy resource. And over on Instagram, user @vivastruble perhaps summed it up best: “🔥🔥🔥.” 

We'll call that a success.







Type Directors Club
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Project Made For

Type Directors Club

Firebelly helped TDC improve membership engagement by redesigning the professional association's website and creating a welcome kit for new membe Read More

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