Maha Akl, a talented independent type designer based in Cairo, has been selected by the Type Directors Club, the globally renowned typography organization, to serve on the international jury for TDC71 competition.
Akl has been named to the Type Design jury. The competition’s other juries are for Communication Design and Lettering.
Across the three juries, the competition has native experts for writing systems spanning Arabic, Cyrillic, Indic, CJK, and Thai, reflecting TDC’s commitment to have a greater number of the most appropriate experts judging work for which they have a deep knowledge.
This year marks the first time in the competition’s more than seven decades of existence that Jury Presidents will be utilized. Their role will be to lead judging for their discipline, guide discussion, and have a vote on the work.
The TDC competition regularly receives entries from more than 60 countries. To be eligible, work must have been produced or published in the 2024 calendar year. To make TDC71 as accessible as possible on a global level, the organization is offering significant regional discounts on entry fees.
Winners of TDC71 receive a Certificate of Typographic Excellence and digital seal certifying their work is among the world’s best of the year. It will also be featured in the highly respected TDC Annual, The World’s Best Typography, and showcased in eight exhibitions that travel to museums, schools and design organizations around the world.
TDC71 winners are also part of The One Club’s prestigious Global Creative Rankings, earning points alongside winners in The One Show, ADC Annual Awards, Art Director Club of Europe (ADCE), and ONE Asia Creative Awards to chart the world’s leading independent creatives, ad agencies, production companies, and brands.
Branding for this year’s competition was created by Paprika, based in Montréal, with fonts generously donated by Klim Type Foundry, in Wellington, NZ.
Regular deadline for entry is January 31, 2025, with fees increasing for the final deadline on February 28, 2025.
