office people: Schick Toikka
What is your ideal office?
Nice people, natural light. Some sort of a coffee maker?
What role does uncertainty play in your design approach?
Uncertainty is a great power because it makes you push yourself. With each new project, we try to challenge ourselves, and never repeat something we have already done. To a certain degree all great work requires exploring an unknown territory. Type design is a lot about trial and error. It’s a process of constant iteration, and balancing between intuition and measured perfection. We are always uncertain how people will receive our work. From the business point of view, it’s never obvious what typeface will become popular.
Where might we find you on a Friday night?
Depends on the season. In winter we usually spend Friday nights unwinding, meeting friends or just staying home. Maybe go to the neighborhood bar? Both Berlin and Helsinki are great places for entertainment.
What unusual inspirations have unexpectedly influenced a font of yours?
Working on our latest typeface release items, one surprising source of inspiration came from a typeface on the cardboard packaging of Microsoft Windows from the early 90s.
If you could collaborate with any artist, dead or alive, who would it be?
Definitely Roy Orbison. Or Wu-Tang clan.
How do you deal with fear?
At the moment it feels that the world is at a state where fear has lost its significance. We are all in the middle of the scariest things: climate change, biodiversity loss, political instability and wars, growing economic inequality… It is important to use all of our collective efforts to fight global challenges. At the same time, it’s time to live and not fear and to take care of the people around you.
What is the last living thing you fell in love with?
We love all living things equally.
Mountains or beaches?
That’s a dilemma! Beaches — the repetitive sound of waves crashing on the shore has a meditative quality, inducing a state of relaxation and mindfulness. At the same time, the towering peaks of mountains evoke awe, fostering contemplation about the grandeur of nature and our place in the world.
Pair your favorite typeface with your favorite album:
Best typeface: Univers; Best album: Jimi Hendrix, Electric Ladyland
If you were to pass a future version of yourself in the street, what would you ask?
Do people still use typefaces?
