Background Layer #5
A look back at Letrástica 5 and a showcase of the real muses behind our work (our pets)
This is Background Layer Issue #5, a look at what’s on our minds at XYZ Type. If you have feedback, please hit reply.
Jesse wrote this issue. (I finally gave in after Ben took on the first four.)
Connecting with community in Guadalajara
It’s been a heck of a week to live in the US, so I’m looking back on the kick-ass Letrástica festival that Zrinka helped organize in Guadalajara—and reflecting on XYZ’s pets (scroll down for pics!).
Where to start when talking about Letrástica? First and foremost, go to it next time! (On a biennial schedule, the next festival is planned for October 2026.)
The reels on Instagram capture the energy and enthusiasm of the festival. It was a welcoming entry point to a broader type design community than the folks I see at other events, with attendees from across the Americas (but mostly Mexico) and most talks given in Spanish, made accessible by Ro Hernandez’s live translations.
After spending a week working in person with Zrinka before the conference, I was glad to extend that collaborative energy into teaming up to provide a public crit session for some typefaces in progress. (If you’re a student who could use another perspective on a project, I’m always happy to do a crit via Zoom.)
All of the programming was fantastic, but I’ll specifically call out a few captivating presentations by speakers this audience may be less familiar with:
Experimental letterforms captured in stonecarvings (and more ephemeral media) by Alicia Márquez
The legacy of Peruvian “chicha” style sign-making and mural lettering, in Elliot Tupac’s capable hands
Memories of middle-school notebook scribbles, all grown up in Marte’s lettering
Explorations of personal identity and type history by Cecilia del Castillo—fresh out of the Type]Media program
The upcoming launch of Kernés, a new fonts-in-progress collective from Mónica Munguía, Ro Hernández, Sandra Morales, and Tamara Segura
Also notable: this gathering was not dominated by men like some other type events—which became especially clear when at the moment of the photo op below. Letrástica is modeling its motto: ¡Letras para todxs! Type for all!
And now… meet XYZ’s pets!
My little cat Spruce turned 19 this week, and apparently, that’s 92 in people years! 🥳 It seemed like a good occasion to celebrate the four-legged muses that keep XYZ running.
If you’ve Zoomed with Ben, you may have seen his dogs Rosie and Pepper curled up in the back of his studio shed.
Bound in dogness and in shedding, they’ve taken the Kiel household by storm.
Zrinka has a daring duo of cat (Lipa) and dog (Tofu)!
In a household with a toddler, the two of them get plenty of attention, whether they want it or not.
Tyler also shares her home with a cat and a dog: Meet Stevie and Jojo.
They’ve forged a semi-stable truce by keeping a lot of distance.
Loved
Ben asked me to throw in a link to this wild video demonstrating that Jon Batiste can Make Any Song Blues.
And if you’re headed to Guadalajara, I can tell you where to get an excellent concha, where to sample a variety of regional pulques, and a cemetery with some pretty incredible lettering. (Hit me up if you want more recommendations!)
Let us know what you’d like to hear about in the next edition and if you have any questions we can answer here. As always, thanks for reading.