Juan Villanueva.
Sr. Type Designer.
In addition to typeface design, Juan is an educator and letterer. He’s the co-founder of Type Electives, a new online school shaping the future of type by offering courses that go beyond traditional type design education. Previously Juan was the lead instructor of Type West Online where his curriculum brought together theory and practice, and emphasized community and collaboration. He’s the founder of Type Crit Crew, an initiative to make type design education more accessible and inclusive to students anywhere in the world. He previously taught at Type@Cooper, the City College of New York, and the Cooper Union Summer Art Intensive Program.
Juan shares his story and research at design conferences around the world including the American Printing History Association, LADFEST, BICeBé, BIPOC Design History, Where Are The Black Designers?, TypeCon, How Design Live, Letrástica, and DiaTipo São Paulo. In 2021, he created Typefaces as Cultural Objects, an archive that highlights typefaces made by Latin American designers that honor and preserve Latin American culture.
He holds a BFA in Graphic Design and Illustration & Animation from Montclair State University. He graduated from the Type@Cooper Extended program in typeface design and completed the Reading Type Design intensive program. He’s a member of AIGA NY and serves on the board of the Society of Scribes.
When he’s not drawing letters, he’s probably making more coffee. You can follow his lettering explorations on Instagram and the awesome work from his students at displaytypedesign.com.
Studio releases.
Helvetica Now
Helvetica® Now is a new chapter in the story of perhaps the best-known typeface of all time. Available in three optical sizes—Micro, Text, and Display—every character in Helvetica Now has been redrawn and refit; with a variety of useful alternates added.
Walbaum
The Walbaum family, designed by Charles Nix, Carl Crossgrove, and Juan Villanueva, is a modern serif design that can be used in a wide variety of placements from micro caption text to massive headlines. Where other moderns preach austerity, Walbaum projects warmth—making it ideal for brands seeking a large type family that blends high style and approachability.
Custom typefaces.
All Together: A Playful New Typeface That Reflects the Joy of M&M’S.
M&M’S® has been bringing people around the world together for more than 80 years. This year, the iconic brand got a modern makeover, with a revamped purpose of creating a world where everyone feels they belong. Other changes include a fresh look and updated personalities for the famous M&M’S characters; a more inclusive and welcoming tone of voice; and a new, attention-grabbing typeface called All Together — a large, warm, playful, and conversational family.
Tencent expands global presence.
If you’re using a messaging app in China, chances are it’s owned by Tencent. See the brand identity and typeface that is helping Tencent expand to new markets.
Related content.
Creative Characters S2 E6: Juan Villanueva.
This week’s episode features the first ever guest from Monotype, our very own Juan Villanueva, a senior type designer on the studio team. Outside of the work he does designing typefaces for clients like M&M’s, Tencent and Google, Juan leads a busy life as an educator and active member of the design community in NYC. Listen to the episode for more.
Meet Walbaum.
Monotype’s Walbaum typeface is the modern serif font to beat all modern serifs. Freshly restored by Monotype, this updated family oozes charm.
From Neue to Now: How Helvetica evolved for the 21st century.
Designers and studios might be deeply familiar with Neue Helvetica, but it’s the product of a pre-digital era. Here are four reasons why it’s time to switch.