International Society of Typographic Designers

The International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD) is a professional body run by and for typographers, graphic designers, and educators. The society has an international membership and its aims are to establish and maintain standards of typography and to provide a forum for debate.
History.
The ISTD was originally formed as the British Typographers' Guild (BTG) in 1928, when Vincent Steer and friends met in a Sicilian restaurant in Holborn, to found the society. Steer recognized the need and the potential for the creative typographer's skills in a world where most 'design' was carried out through compositors' layouts. From his own background in printing, and the opportunity to observe the trade in America, he determined to develop the profession of typography in the UK, and to that end started the British Typographers Guild with six other like-minded founding members.
In 1953 the guild became the Society of Typographic Designers (STD), and in 1999, recognizing its influence in other countries, and at the behest of then President Colin Banks, it became the International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD).
TypoGraphic.
"TypoGraphic" is the journal of the ISTD and was first published in 1971. Selected writings from 30 years of "TypoGraphic" were published in an anthology in 2001.
A complete set of "TypoGraphic" journals is available at the St Bride Library.
ISTD International Typographic Awards.
The ISTD runs the International Typographic Awards which are held as an appraisal of current standards in typographic design and are judged by some of today's leading graphic, interactive and typographic design specialists:
The ISTD Awards are held every three years: there were awards in 2011 and 2014, and the next award will be given during 2017.
Categories of membership.
The ISTD has several categories of membership, some with designatory postnominals:
ISTD Student Assessment.
The annual Student Assessment, started in 1975, allows students to gain entry to the ISTD. This is achieved by assessment of their work applied to a rigorous brief (five new project briefs are published in October each year), and is open to those registered on a recognised full-time undergraduate or postgraduate course. Assessment is carried out by teams of practicing designers and typographic educators.
Student Assessments are held in England, Ireland, Middle East, South Africa and Australia to deal with the submissions relating to each location. These are coordinated by the ISTD Education Team under the aegis of the Education Director.