Leonardo Vázquez

Leonardo Vázquez treats the editorial profession as a dish to be enjoyed from its planning stages. A typographer trained at the National Typography Research Workshop in Nancy, France, Leonardo carefully selects the editorial ingredients: the paper to choose the format, the precision of the text box, and the primary ingredient, typography, to provide structure, accents, and spaces for fluid reading. With well-chosen guards and a cover, the book is prepared slowly and without haste, savoring and enjoying each page.

Leonardo holds a Master’s in Critical Theory and has worked with private publishers, government entities, and NGOs. From his studio, macizo.com.mx, he tackles editorial challenges with new formulas and ingredients that leave readers satisfied. He is the founder of the Mexican Typography Association and the creator of the typographic classification system Wikitype. He has designed typefaces such as Señal México for Mexican highways, Lectura for the editorial Artes de México, and Algarabía for the magazine of the same name. He has also taught undergraduate and graduate courses in public and private educational institutions in Mexico.

Other activities involving the participant:

Design Beyond the Book: Publishers Who Understand Typography

Raúl Plancarte

Raúl is an expert in typography design, identity, and graphic art. His typefaces are distributed through sudtipos.com. Among his most notable works are the Soberana identity and typeface for the Government of Mexico (2012-2018), the Comex typeface, and the typeface for Librerías Gandhi, among others. In the field of logo design, he has worked on creations for La Costeña, Trans-X, Grupo Geep, and Tequila Jarana, to name a few.

He has collaborated with various agencies, including Teran TBWA, Grupo Expansión, El Universal, Bamf!, Ogilvy Mexico, Leo Burnett, MBLM Mexico and New York, and Vivid Spark, among others. His work has been published in magazines such as a! Diseño, Marvin, CKA Mag, El Fanzine, Código, and Tyipo, as well as in books like Logolounge (in six editions), Tipografía Latinoamericana, De la creatividad a la innovación: 200 Diseñadores MX, and in the ten catalogs of the Bienal Letras Latinas.

Additionally, he has given lectures both nationally and internationally, at institutions such as the Universidad Uniminuto de Dios in Bogotá, Colombia, and Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, California. His career has been recognized with awards from the Bienal de Tipos Latinos, a! Diseño Award, the Clap International Design Awards, Diseña México, Logolounge, Typism, among others.

Rogelio Cuevas Olivares

Graphic designer graduated from Universidad Anáhuac México Norte, with a specialization in typography from Allgemeine Gewerbeschule Basel in Basel, Switzerland, and a master's degree in Semiotics from Universidad Anáhuac México Norte.

In 1990, he founded the design studio Cuevas-Puigferrat Diseño, specializing in editorial design, branding, and signage.

He has worked with clients such as Banamex, Banco Inverlat, Seguros Bancomext, Editorial Jilguero, the Government of Mexico City, the National Federation of Municipalities of Mexico, the Cultural Dissemination Coordination of UNAM, the National Association of Mexican World Heritage Cities, and Centro Promotor de Diseño México, among others.

He has received international awards and recognition at the Premio Quorum. Since 1990, he has been a professor at the Faculty of Design at Universidad Anáhuac. His work has been published in Marcas & Trademarks Mex and Diseño Gráfico en México, 100 años. In 2015, in search of teaching tools for typography, he founded Taller 1895, a space dedicated to promoting, studying, experimenting with, and preserving letterpress printing with movable type. He is a founding member of the Mexican Association of Typography.

Fer Cozzi

Fer Cozzi is an independent type designer born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She earned her diploma from the University of Buenos Aires, where she was part of the teaching team in the Master's program in Typography. She currently serves as an instructor in the Type West program and conducts various typography workshops at the National University of the Arts. In her work, she seeks to explore rhythms, shapes, and strokes where chance and a not-so-obvious rationality intersect. A talkative enthusiast of letters, some of her works have been selected for type exhibitions, and she has participated in various typography conferences and events around the world. When she's not drawing letters, she is likely dancing to the beat of 90s pop.

Cristóbal Henestrosa

Cristóbal Henestrosa designs books and typefaces. He holds a degree in Graphic Communication from the National School of Plastic Arts of UNAM (now the Faculty of Arts and Design), a specialization in editorial design and production from the School of Design of INBA, a master's degree in type design from the Gestalt Studies Center, and a type design certification from The Cooper Union (New York). He has developed type families for clients such as Fondo de Cultura Económica, Librerías Gandhi, the Federal Government of Mexico, and El Colegio de México.

He is the author of Espinosa: Rescate de una tipografía novohispana (Mexico, Designio, 2005) and co-author of Cómo crear tipografías: Del boceto a la pantalla (Madrid, Tipo E, 2012), which has been translated into English, Polish, Portuguese, and Chinese. Since 2011, he has been a professor of typography at the Faculty of Arts and Design at UNAM. He also teaches related courses in various diploma programs, specialties, and master’s degrees at institutions such as the Master’s in Design and Editorial Production at the Autonomous Metropolitan University and the Master’s in Editorial Media Design at the National University of the Litoral (Santa Fe, Argentina).

Francisco Gálvez

Graphic Designer from the IPEVE Institute at Diego Portales University. Self-taught typographer and type designer. Lecturer at the School of Design at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and the Diploma in Typography at the same institution. Altazor Award in the category of Graphic Design and Illustration for the typeface Elemental (2002, Santiago, Chile). Gold Prize in the International Typeface Design Competition for the typeface Australis (Tokyo, 2002). Author of the books Educación Tipográfica (2004) and Hacer y Componer (2018), the latter translated into Polish as Stwórz i Złóż in 2019 by d2d.pl publishing house.

He has worked for Concha y Toro, Editorial Origo, Ediciones UC, the Government of Chile, the Municipal Theater of Santiago, La Tercera newspaper, La Cuarta newspaper, Sernatur, Sodimac, among others.

Mario Balcázar

He is a graphic designer with a master's degree in editorial design from Universidad Anáhuac Mexico, and additional studies in design, typography, and publishing at Stanford and Type Cooper. In 1999, he founded ilustresDiseño, a studio specializing in branding, editorial, and advertising design. Eight years later, the studio evolved into MBA Estudio de Diseño, where he has consolidated his work with clients such as Walmart, Petco, Infonavit, and Alsea, expanding his focus to include digital design and information architecture up to the present day.

Currently, he divides his time between MBA Estudio and teaching editorial design, typography, calligraphy, and identity at Universidad Anáhuac. He also specializes in executive management at IPADE and MIT. His passions include lettering, editorial design, branding, photography, and writing, particularly on design and management topics. He is the co-author of the book Gestión del Diseño, published by Universidad Anáhuac, and has contributed to websites such as Foroalfa and Paredro.

Other activities involving the participant:

The Rebellion of Sans Serifs: Does the World Need New Typefaces?

Isidro Ferrer

Invitado de Honor

He is an illustrator and graphic designer whose work spans a vast physical and emotional geography. A graduate in dramatic arts and scenography, Isidro Ferrer is a graphic artist in the broadest sense of the term: he is the creator of hundreds of posters, book covers, objects, toys, editorial design, monumental infographics, animated shorts, textiles, brand imagery, sculptures, and lamps. Any medium, technique, or communication channel serves him to express with images his passion for the theater of life.

As an illustrator, he has published over 50 books, including: El vuelo de la razón (1993, Ministry of Culture Award for Best Edited Book); Yo me lo guiso, yo me lo como (1996, Laus Silver Award for Illustration); El verano y sus amigos (1996, Lazarillo Award for Illustration); En Cosme i el monstre Menjamots (2000, Serra d’Or Criticism Award); Una casa para el abuelo (2003, Daniel Gil Award for Illustration; 2006, Junceda Award for Illustration); Libro de las preguntas (2006, AEPD Award and Cálamo Award); Un jardín (2017, Bologna Ragazzi Award Mention); Enciclopedia visual de los sonidos (2022, BRAW Amazing Bookshelf. Bologna Children’s Book Fair); Frankenstein o el Prometeo moderno (2023, National Award for Best University Edition); Piedra a piedra (2023, Ministry of Culture Award for Best Edited Book).

His work has been exhibited in numerous countries across Europe, America, and Asia. He has received the National Design Award in 2002 and the National Illustration Award in 2006. Since 2000, he has been a member of AGI (Alliance Graphique Internationale).

Other activities involving the participant:

Illustrating the Journey

Leonardo Vázquez

Leonardo Vázquez treats the editorial profession as a dish to be enjoyed from its planning stages. A typographer trained at the National Typography Research Workshop in Nancy, France, Leonardo carefully selects the editorial ingredients: the paper to choose the format, the precision of the text box, and the primary ingredient, typography, to provide structure, accents, and spaces for fluid reading. With well-chosen guards and a cover, the book is prepared slowly and without haste, savoring and enjoying each page.

Leonardo holds a Master’s in Critical Theory and has worked with private publishers, government entities, and NGOs. From his studio, macizo.com.mx, he tackles editorial challenges with new formulas and ingredients that leave readers satisfied. He is the founder of the Mexican Typography Association and the creator of the typographic classification system Wikitype. He has designed typefaces such as Señal México for Mexican highways, Lectura for the editorial Artes de México, and Algarabía for the magazine of the same name. He has also taught undergraduate and graduate courses in public and private educational institutions in Mexico.

Other activities involving the participant:

The Character of Editorial Design Through Typography

Nubia Navarro

Nubia Navarro, also known as Nubikini, she is an art director, designer, lettering artist and typography lover based in Bogotá, Colombia (with her heart in Venezuela). With 10+ years of experience, she enjoys the ability to adapt to any project and generate striking pieces that transmit emotions through colors and typography.

Her approach to design is very focused on solving problems through custom lettering, typography, color and illustration. She believes in experimentation and diversity as a way of getting ahead of other people and brands. Considered one of the TDC 35 Ascenders of 2023, Nubia’s work has been recognized by the Latin American Design Awards, the Type Directors Club, Communication Arts, among others. His clients include Adobe, Microsoft, Facebook, Chronicle Books, Airbnb, Wacom, Trader Joes, Lenovo, Edding, Johnnie Walker, American Greetings and Adidas.

Alexia Halteman

Editor, bookseller, and translator. She studied a Bachelor's degree in Hispanic Literature at the University of Guadalajara. She participated in the editing of the Colección del Semáforo at Taller Ditoria (2009–2014) and was a founding member and editor of the literary and graphic magazine La Cigarra (2013–2016). She has translated several books of poetry, short stories, and essays, including Walking by Henry David Thoreau. She is a co-founder, along with Helena Aldana, José Clemente Orozco Farías, and Carlos Armenta, of Impronta Casa Editora (2014–present). She currently serves as editor at Impronta and manages its bookstore.

Gen Ramírez

Gen Ramírez, a type designer and educator based in Guadalajara, Mexico, co-founded Dual Type, a Mexican-Croatian studio specializing in type design, editorial design, branding, and digital media. His multidisciplinary approach to design has led him to a lifelong exploration of typeform and expression. With a background rooted in traditional lettering, he is dedicated to preserving and promoting this craft both professionally and culturally. He completed certification programs in Type Design at The Cooper Union in San Francisco and New York. He graduated with a master's degree in type design and technology from the TypeMedia program at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, Netherlands. His work has been recognized by the Latin American Typography Biennial, Tipos Latinos. In addition to teaching type design and calligraphy, Gen plays a key role in fostering a thriving typographic community in Mexico, organizing the biennial Letrástica conference in Guadalajara.

Andreu Balius Planelles

Andreu Balius is a graphic designer specializing in type design and editorial design. He holds a PhD from the University of Southampton and teaches at the Eina School of Design in Barcelona. He began designing typefaces in the late 1980s. In 1990, he launched Garcia Fonts & Co, an experimental project exploring the expressive possibilities of digital technology. In 2003, he founded Typerepublic, a digital foundry where he publishes his typefaces and creates corporate typography for clients such as Victoria’s Secret, Seat/Volkswagen, Arte TV, the Government of La Rioja, the Barcelona Provincial Council, and Abu Dhabi Ports, among others.

He has given lectures at national and international conferences, as well as workshops at schools and universities. His work has been awarded prizes such as the European Design Award and the “Certificate of Excellence in Type Design” from the TDC. He is a member of AGI (Alliance Graphique Internationale), TDC (Type Directors Club), and ATypI, and is the author of the book Type at Work: Usos de la tipografía en el diseño editorial and numerous articles in specialized publications.

Mario Balcázar

He is a graphic designer with a master's degree in editorial design from Universidad Anáhuac Mexico, and additional studies in design, typography, and publishing at Stanford and Type Cooper. In 1999, he founded ilustresDiseño, a studio specializing in branding, editorial, and advertising design. Eight years later, the studio evolved into MBA Estudio de Diseño, where he has consolidated his work with clients such as Walmart, Petco, Infonavit, and Alsea, expanding his focus to include digital design and information architecture up to the present day.

Currently, he divides his time between MBA Estudio and teaching editorial design, typography, calligraphy, and identity at Universidad Anáhuac. He also specializes in executive management at IPADE and MIT. His passions include lettering, editorial design, branding, photography, and writing, particularly on design and management topics. He is the co-author of the book Gestión del Diseño, published by Universidad Anáhuac, and has contributed to websites such as Foroalfa and Paredro.

Other activities involving the participant:

Invisible Letters: The Typography You Don’t See