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.

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.

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.

Charles Nix.

Charles Nix is a Senior Executive Creative Director, designer, typographer and educator. He was lead designer for  Helvetica Now and has 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 M&M’s and Progressive Insurance and contributed to the massive Google Noto project.

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.

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.

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.  

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.

 

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.

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.

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.

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.