Type Directors Club, one of the world’s most influential organizations dedicated to typography, has announced 161 finalists from 40 countries for the prestigious TDC72 competition, marking the first time in its nearly eight-decade history that it has unveiled a shortlist ahead of the final awards presentation.
This move represents not only a procedural shift, but also a clear evolution in the positioning of typographic design within the broader global creative economy. At a time when design is increasingly functioning as a strategic business tool rather than solely an aesthetic discipline, TDC72 further strengthens its role as a relevant international benchmark.
All finalists will receive the newly introduced physical awards Gold Type-High, Silver Type-High, Bronze Type-High, or Merit, which will officially be presented on July 16, 2026, during a special ceremony at The Lighthouse in Brooklyn. The competition traditionally recognizes excellence across three key disciplines: Communication Design, Lettering, and Type Design.
In the Communication Design category, SMLXL New York stood out with five finalists, including projects Spatial Festival 2025 developed in collaboration with Mallandrich Barcelona and Principi Barcelona, as well as work for Orika and Hyundai Cards.
An equally strong performance came from Studio Dumbar/DEPT Rotterdam, also with five finalists, among which three projects created with OpenAI Creative Studio San Francisco for OpenAI DevDay 2025 particularly stand out, further confirming the growing importance of technology companies in redefining contemporary design language.
The New York Times New York secured four finalist positions, including projects Inside the Collapse of the F.D.A. and The Huge Issue, reinforcing the continued strength of editorial design as a crucial component of modern media brands. In the Lettering discipline, Kevin Cantrell Studio Mantua leads with three finalists for projects TOTG Playing Cards Red Edition, Bebemos Playing Cards, and La Bible des Cocktails 2025-2026 Cover.
Tarek Atrissi Design Barcelona achieved two significant finalist positions, including projects for American University of Beirut, Center for Arab Comics Studies at AUB, and The Design Museum Den Bosch.
In the Type Design category, five studios shared the leading position with two finalists each: Contrast Foundry San Francisco, DualType Guadalajara, TypeTogether Prague, typographies.fr Villeurbanne, and Typotheque The Hague.
Particular significance this year comes from the launch of the new physical Type-High awards, designed by longtime organization collaborator and chairman emeritus Graham Clifford.
The new award structure further aligns Type Directors Club with the models of established global creative festivals, where physical recognition, global rankings, and market visibility carry increasing business value. Winners of TDC72 will therefore receive not only industry recognition through The World’s Best Typography® annual and international exhibitions, but also ranking points within The One Club for Creativity global creative rankings system.
That is precisely why TDC72 is no longer just a typography competition. It is becoming an important indicator of how design, creativity, technology, and global reputation are increasingly intersecting in an industry where visual identity is more frequently functioning as a business strategy.
