Kerning Festival: Typography in Faenza

The Kerning Festival, a typography and design event, takes place in Faenza, a small town of 60,000 inhabitants in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Founded by Enrico Stradaioli and Francesco Fullone, the festival deliberately limits its scale to foster networking and community among participants. The 2015 edition featured workshops and conferences with international figures such as type designer Tobias Frere-Jones, information designer Nicholas Felton, and art director Francesco Franchi, who co-led a workshop on data storytelling. Other notable guests included Oliver Reichenstein, Vitaly Friedman, Barbara Calzolari, and Marco Goran Romano. The festival's theme, "What Lies Beneath," curated by Beatrice Bassi and Maurizio Piacenza, explores the hidden processes behind famous designers' work. Faenza has a historical tradition of typography, with a renowned school of engravers and active xylographers, as noted by Damiano Bandini of La Vecchia Stamperia, a workshop venue. The festival maintains an intimate atmosphere with a speaker-to-attendee ratio of 1:15, prioritizing quality over large crowds. Many speakers, like Goran Romano, previously attended as students, reflecting the event's educational value. The organizers emphasize that the festival's local character is a strength, not a limitation, attracting professionals and students who appreciate the hands-on interaction.