Typographics 2020: Becoming Vocal with Tré Seals
Channel: Typographics
Date: 09/09/2020

This talk took place on Saturday, July 25, 2020 as part of the Typographics Conference presented by The Cooper Union. The live streaming and recorded archive of the event was made possible with the generous support of Google. 

If experience is the best teacher then observation is the best tutor. Becoming Vocal is a culmination and exploration of the experiences and observations that led founder, Tré Seals, to start Vocal Type Co., a peek at what is to come, and a thought on inclusivity.

Tré is one of those rare individuals that actually became what he wanted to be as a child. From kindergarten to third grade, he would bounce between drawing, religiously, and practicing writing in cursive until he could get his handwriting to look like the sample sheets.
In the 5th and 6th grade Seals would graffiti people’s names on index cards and sell them for $3 apiece. In high school and college, he would design bead jewelry, Lego™ jewelry, tattoos, posters, and t-shirts. And at the age of 20, he made a pact with himself that by the time he was 25, he would become an internationally renowned designer—and he is.
In May of 2015, Seals graduated with 7 job offers. Four months after graduating from college, he founded his company. Less than a year later, he started a font foundry, Vocal Type, that not only crafts industry shattering typefaces, but also works with a variety of non-profit organizations.
Now 26, Seals stayed true to his pact and has worked on over 200 projects for Fortune 500 companies and small businesses. He’s been recognized as an Ascender by the Type Directors Club, a Young Gun by the One Club For Creativity, and has been featured in Fast Company, Eye On Design, Communication Arts magazine, and more.