Studio.

Meet the team.

The Monotype Studio hails from all corners of the globe. We design typefaces for the world’s most beloved brands, and have created some of this century’s most iconic and talked-about designs.

Tom Foley.

Tom Foley is an Executive Creative Director for Monotype, and in his role, is responsible for leading a team of type designers creating fonts for the Monotype Library and corporate brands. Words and letters are in Tom’s blood - his great-grandfather was from a family of stonemasons that specialized in letter carving, and his uncle was a sign painter.

Phil Garnham.

Phil is an Executive Creative Director with many years of experience in the design and engineering of fonts for global brands. Working in collaboration with design studios and global clients, Phil understands the creative and business needs of brands looking to build continuity with type.

Akira Kobayashi.

Creative Type Director Akira Kobayashi has nearly four decades of experience and an extensive background in Japanese typeface design and is a 2022 TDC Medal and Keinosuke Sato Award winner. After studying at Musashino Art University in Tokyo for four years, Akira Kobayashi accepted his first job at phototypesetting manufacturer Sha-Ken Co., where he was involved in the lengthy and intricate process of designing Japanese fonts.

Tom Rickner.

Tom Rickner is Senior Director of the Studio with a career in type that spans more than three decades. During that time, he has mastered nearly every aspect of type design and font production, from his earliest days editing bitmaps, to designing some of the very first Multiple Master fonts for Adobe and TrueType GX Variations fonts for the Font Bureau and Apple, where he was also a pioneer of variable type.

Sara Soskolne.

Sara Soskolne is a Creative Type Director and designer. As a reformed bookworm, her deepest inspiration as a typeface designer is the experience of reading, and her abiding interest is in creating typefaces which not only serve but enrich that experience. Originally a graphic designer, Sara’s increasing fascination with type eventually drew her to study typeface design at the University of Reading in the UK, and then to practice it at Hoefler&Co.

Emilios Theofanous.

Born in Cyprus, Monotype Creative Type Director Emilios Theofanous has a soft spot for quality Greek and multilingual typography. Since joining Monotype, Emilios has worked on many custom typeface projects for clients across fashion, banking, retail, and automotive sectors, as well as some iconic Monotype Library releases including Helvetica Now Variable. His latest typeface release ‘Touvlo’, has won the Communication Arts award of Excellence for typeface design.  

Terrance Weinzierl.

As a Creative Type Director in the Monotype Studio, Terrance Weinzierl has been creating and modifying typefaces for the Monotype Library and a wide range of brands since 2008. In addition to working on custom projects for PBS, Microsoft, Google, Barnes & Noble, Domino’s and SAP, he’s designed type for video games, professional sports teams and auto manufacturers.

Friedrich Althausen.

Friedrich Althausen is a Type Designer based in Monotype’s Berlin office. After his studies at the Bauhaus University in Weimar, Friedrich worked as a freelance designer with a special interest in book typography and letter drawing. He has designed typefaces for several textbooks on subjects such as mathematics and Cartography, and his typeface “Vollkorn” became widely known as one of the first free web fonts on the internet.

Jordan Bell.

Jordan Bell is a letterer and type designer at Monotype. He is fascinated by handwriting and its effect on modern type design as well as early American typefounding. Originally from Texas, Jordan received a BFA from Abilene Christian University and then worked as a graphic designer in Santa Fe, NM before attending the MATD program at University of Reading in the UK to further his knowledge in design history, graphic communication, and typeface design.

 

Tao Di.

Tao is a Type Designer at the Monotype Studio in Shanghai, China. He graduated from university where he studied engineering, and started his career as a graphic designer at an ad agency in China. During that period, he got attracted to the magic of fonts and started learning type design by himself.

Ryota Doi.

Ryota Doi is a Senior Type Designer for Monotype. Ryota first became interested in type as a design student while at university in Japan. After receiving his BA in design from Tokyo University of the Arts, he enrolled in the MA typeface design program at the prestigious University of Reading, where he studied the differences between Japanese and Latin type.

Robin Hui.

Robin Hui joined Monotype Hong Kong as a type designer in 1988. He is currently the Chief Typographer and Production Manager of Monotype Hong Kong, responsible for a wide variety of type design and technology projects, including compression, hinting, and rendering control of typefaces across different platforms. Before joining Monotype, he spent 10 years as a professional typesetter, where Robin gained experience in how type is used effectively while also developing a strong passion for Chinese typography.

Juan Villanueva.

Juan Villanueva is a Senior Type Designer at the Monotype Studio in New York City. He grew up in Lima, Peru and Clifton, New Jersey. His heart is in both places and his work reflects both languages and cultures. Juan joined Monotype in 2016 where he contributes to library designs including Helvetica Now, Futura Now, and Walbaum and creates custom projects for global brands such as Google, Microsoft, Tencent, M&Ms, and Entertainment One.

Damien Collot.

Creative Type Director Damien Collot’s interest and passion for type design comes from drawing. As a child, he could spend hours at his desk trying to get the perfect, most unique, Donald Duck. Damien easily found his place in a field where attention to details and focus are key assets to explore the nuances of letter shapes.

Charles Nix.

Charles Nix is a Senior Executive Creative Director, designer, typographer and educator. He designed a number of popular typefaces in the Monotype Library, including Walbaum and Hope Sans, which received a Certificate of Typographic Excellence in the 22nd Annual Type Directors Club Typeface Design Competition. He’s also designed custom typefaces for Google Noto, Progressive Insurance and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Sina Otto.

Sina Otto is Creative Type Director at Monotype, based in Berlin. In this role, her extensive expertise is utilised by advising brands and agencies on branding and typography. Prior joining Monotype, she worked as an independent creative with renowned agencies and publishers in Berlin, Milan and Zurich, among others.

Doug Wilson.

Doug Wilson is an Executive Creative Director with 20 years experience in design, writing, and filmmaking. His love for typography began when he resurrected letterpress equipment at his university and became a full obsession with his 2012 documentary film, “Linotype: The Film.” He has presented at conferences and organizations as diverse as NASA, The New York Times, and Condé Nast.

Spike Spondike.

Spike Spondike is an award-winning Senior Typeface Designer at Monotype. Her experience includes almost a decade working with Dalton Maag, and the past two years with Colophon Foundry.

Anna Damoli.

Anna Damoli is an Italian type designer and calligrapher at Monotype London. After her Master’s in Visual Design, Anna worked as a visual designer at Interbrand Milan while exploring her love for letters through calligraphy and type design.

Laurène Girbal.

Laurène Girbal is a Type designer at Monotype with a soft spot for scripts and logotypes. After her education in graphic design and her type design specialization at EsadType, she worked as a freelance designer before joining Colophon Foundry.