Nick Shinn
Encyclopedia
Nick Shinn is a typeface
designer. He attended school at Leeds Polytechnic where he earned a Dip. AD in Fine Art.
In 1976 he moved to Toronto
, Canada
, where he worked as an art director and creative director at a number of Toronto advertising agencies from the 1970s into the 1980s. In 1989 he started ShinnDesign, his own digital studio, specializing in publication design. Nick has designed everything from books and magazines to web sites.
Since 1980 he has designed over 20 typeface
families, some for respected publishers, including Walburn and Brown for the Canadian daily "The Globe and Mail
." Many of Nick's early type designs were published by various foundries
, most notably the FontFont library. In 1999 he launched ShinnType, which now publishes and markets his fonts worldwide. Nick is a prolific writer and often contributes to "Graphic Exchange" magazine, as well as many other publications. He has also had speaking engagements at conferences such as ATypI
and TypeCon
and has served as a board member for The Society of Typographic Aficionados
.
Of his typeface designs, Shinn says, “Beautiful letters aren’t enough to make a successful typeface; I also want to create faces that are design solutions.”
Typeface
In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
designer. He attended school at Leeds Polytechnic where he earned a Dip. AD in Fine Art.
In 1976 he moved to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, where he worked as an art director and creative director at a number of Toronto advertising agencies from the 1970s into the 1980s. In 1989 he started ShinnDesign, his own digital studio, specializing in publication design. Nick has designed everything from books and magazines to web sites.
Since 1980 he has designed over 20 typeface
Typeface
In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
families, some for respected publishers, including Walburn and Brown for the Canadian daily "The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
." Many of Nick's early type designs were published by various foundries
Type foundry
A type foundry is a company that designs or distributes typefaces. Originally, type foundries manufactured and sold metal and wood typefaces and matrices for line-casting machines like the Linotype and Monotype machines designed to be printed on letterpress printers...
, most notably the FontFont library. In 1999 he launched ShinnType, which now publishes and markets his fonts worldwide. Nick is a prolific writer and often contributes to "Graphic Exchange" magazine, as well as many other publications. He has also had speaking engagements at conferences such as ATypI
ATypI
The ATypI or the Association Typographique Internationale is an international non-profit organisation dedicated to typography.-The organisation:...
and TypeCon
TypeCon
TypeCon is a grassroots, typography-focused convention run by the non-profit Society of Typographic Aficionados. The content of TypeCon conferences focuses on — but is not limited to — the areas of typography, type design, printing, letterpress, calligraphy, the book arts, publishing, design...
and has served as a board member for The Society of Typographic Aficionados
Society of Typographic Aficionados
The Society of Typographic Aficionados is an international not-for-profit organization dedicated to the promotion, study, and support of type, its history and development, its use in the world of print and digital imagery, its designers, and its admirers....
.
Of his typeface designs, Shinn says, “Beautiful letters aren’t enough to make a successful typeface; I also want to create faces that are design solutions.”