JUNGLE: Which teachers, artists, movements helped change or form your perspectives about typography and typography design?
Jean-Francois Porchez: I discover typefaces design by the link of Calligraphy during my first year of graphic courses with my teacher of calligraphy Ronan Le Henaff who at this time learn himself Type design at Atelier national de Creation Typographique. On the two years after I continue to explore Type design with others students from ANCT (who are also teacher in my school!), during the last year, I decide to start an complete typeface to understand all aspect of the design: Now FF Angie. During theses years I also be commissioned by several packaging and corporate identity agencies to do some lettering and logotype work. I discover also Bernard Arin teaching (he manage the Scriptorium de Toulouse from 1968), he open my mind about type design who need have roots from writing and calligraphy studies. Calligraphy was my first reference when I start design type.

But quickly I understand that books can provide much more information and “self teaching” than real teachers, it’s an way to find my own personal way. I discover that the books of typography history were mainly in English, so I start again to learn English by reading books on type! In these years, there no real equivalent in French. The situation have changed now. My references are mainly from books: As I remember, Twentieth type designers by Sebastian Carter, Anatomy of Typeface by Alexander Lanson, Herman Zapf, his design philosophy (by himself) and Letters of Credits by Walter Tracy gave all my first understanding of my future job. When I have been accepted to ANCT (who change of direction the same year), I consider now that I already knew about design type, and my awarded first typeface proposed to Morisawa Awards before ANCT proves that. This one year special school offer only the necessary time to confirm my throughts: I’m going to be an type designer!

JUNGLE: As a French designer as you are, how much do you value and treasure the history and heritage of French typography in today’s typography and in your own typographic design? And how are your ideas reflected in your design? What, in your opinion, is the most essential element in typographic design?
JFP: The Rencontres internationales de Lure (French equivalent of ATypI created in the fifties by Maximilien Vox, creator of Vox-ATypI typeface classification) are the main link to French type tradition. People like Gerard Blanchard (died last year) show me “my” French roots. We discussed many times about type history, contemporary type design. In France, there are a big holes between young and old type designers generation. There is nobody from the same generation of people like Spiekerman or Stone. But the Rencontres internationales de Lure helped me to meet and discuss with people like Ladislas Mandel, Rene Ponot who by their knowledge opened my mind to French tradition and view that I understand very well, because I compared their vision to the Anglo-Saxon philosophy. Each country have his own culture, related to Type, I strongly think that the typeforms can’t be the same in all countries, first because our languages are structurally different and a type designer “dreams” his new typefaces in his own language! German text natural rhythm is really more contrasted than Latin or French for example, so a designer like Zapf or Spiekerman naturally design more structured, straight, square and low width contrasted forms of letters because of his language. In reverse I design a text typeface more contrasted in forms widths to give more life to my texts to balance the low contrasted French text language.

JUNGLE: Has your perspectives about typography changed over the times of your professional career? For instance, your perspectives as a student, career-starting designer, and established designer as now? If so, how?
JFP: I don’t think so? It’s an too long process to design fonts.

JUNGLE: How many new typefaces are turned out (or released) at average rate, and how big is your Typofonderie? (Staff and facilities, and so forth)
JFP: I don’t know! I currently work on two families for clients and two for my own. The first was the extension of the Parisine that I design in 1995/96 for the Paris M?ro signages to optimise legibility and economy of space, in bold and bold italic at this time. I was asked by them to create an 12 series families (6 romans and 6 italics). I probably finish it next month.
The second was an family more distinctive in term of style designed for Costa Croiciere, an large Italian company specialize in boat trips who sell his holidays mainly by catalogues produced in many differents languages. So the new family is an way to be more distinctive and unique compared with their concurrents. It’s an 4 series family from Light to Bold. I try also to finish a new part of Le Monde family called Le Monde Livre Classic which features alternative forms for many letters of the original Le Monde Livre. This new family is designed to give more historical roots to composed text, as I provide many ligatures, alternates and ornaments. The Italic is declined in two variations from Standard Italic (but more flourish
than the LM Livre original) to Swash version. Last, in parallel to Parisine family, I develop a Parisine Plus which features more original forms and alternates in same way as Le Monde Livre Classic but also very different from Parisine is an San-serif typeface family.

JUNGLE: When you work with clients, how do you approach and convince them, as they usually look for a tailored and exclusive appearance in the typefaces? You can give us an example from your former or present clients.
JFP: Because I teach from long time, I understand that it’s important to explain many aspect of work to future clients. For example, I contacted Le Monde newspaper to propose an exclusive typeface that they never asked but with my demonstration and after only few weeks of discussions, they buy it! Because they understand how a carefully adapted typeface can optimize legibility and provide to them with a strong typographical identity. The newspaper increased in sales after that, but not only because of the new typeface as they change also the layout of the newspaper. I very proud of that, as Le Monde is actually the only French newspaper that uses a custom typeface family in France.

JUNGLE: You obviously contribute actively to teaching as well as publications both in journals and books in the field of typographic design. What are the topics of your lectures and courses and what is your aim in teaching?
JFP: I always think that parallel typographical activities gives good opportunities to better understand my work. I contribute to associations like ATypI, for an general better typography. Last year I published Lettres Franacises, a specimen of all French contemporary digital typefaces to promote the French typography through the world. This book published in French/English which includes some essays by Gerard Unger (outside view), Gerard Blanchard (inside view) and several texts on French typographical schools, list of most typefaces created from the begin of this century, etc.. I wrote from a couple of years many articles on contemporary international type designers such as Matthew Carter, David Berlow’ Font Bureau, Gerard Unger, LettError, Carol Twombly, etc for French graphic design magazine Etapes Graphiques and several articles, essays for ATypI Type Journal and related publications. I also organize type events in France like the last ATypI conference MultiTypo 98, where 500 people came from all over the world to assist to more than 28 lectures, exhibits, group discussions, visits, etc. Yes, I teach typography from my first year of activity in several Parisian schools, now I keep only an high level Type design course at Ecole Nationale des Arts Decoratifs in Paris.

JUNGLE: What is your latest interest or fascination in terms of your source of inspiration for the new typeface design?
JFP: I learned to design typefaces on paper, but quickly, like many graphic designers, I moved to computer design. Now, I design my typefaces directly on screen from scratch with Burmerster curves. But when I need to more wrote forms, I scan some roughs or calligraphies to provide me with better sources. Sometimes, it is quicker to draw letters in small sizes (less than 2 centimeters high caps) on papers than directly on the screen. I don’t what to be software-dependent, when software can offer what I ask. I change it for another or work on paper! I start in early nineties with URW Ikarus specialized software for digitization of paper forms, and after I work on Macromedia Fontographer, sometimes with Illustrator. Now it’s a mix of Fontographer, Robofog and FontLab and some small Apple and Microsoft softwares for very specialized fine-tuning. I like the philosophy of Robofog more and more because this software is created by LettError and others Dutch type designers for type designers! The concept is that you use script written in Python language to create and produce your fonts, so the software has no limits anymore. All the users are all the time in interaction with the developers by mailing lists, when we ask for a new function that we can’t do by our own scripts, they update Robofog very easily and quickly for us.

The computer tools have no direct influence on my forms, my influences come from my readings, most of the time historical. Latin type forms have already 2000 years of history, so when you know past very well, you know what you can do or not when you design new fonts. I adapt my forms to current technology rather than the the other way around!

JUNGLE: Finally, we come to the last question to wrap up…What is your view about non-Roman alphabetical fonts? Are there any particular foreign letter forms other than Roman alphabets which interests you?
JFP: Cultural aspect of writing and typefaces are fundamental, so without a good knowledge of a particularly language, writing and the culture of the people using them, you cannot design good typeface. The transposition of experience in Latin forms can help only for technical aspect of non-Latin forms, never for the forms themselves, or the finished typeface looks strange to a potential user, the history shows too many cases of bad examples. So, I have only the ambitions to continue some typefaces extensions to Cyrillic and Grecs because Latin have common Mediterranean ground. I work currently on Le
Monde Cyrillic. My Grand Mother was Russian origin!

* Words of thanks to Jean-Francois Porchez.