Typeface design, research and education
Cinetype is the studio of Michele Patanè, typeface designer, font engineer and researcher based in London, UK.
For any query, do not hesitate to contact me at:
design [at] cinetype.com

TYPOGRAPHIC SERVICES
Font designcustom fonts, retail fonts, logo design and logo refinements.
Consultation – define a typographic palette, font reviews, brand development support, font development process.
Font production – engineering, design extension, hinting, quality assurance, digitization.
Education – visiting lecturer, workshops.
Research is at the base of my design practice. It’s a way to understand reality and to find paths that can lead to the solution of a problem in an efficient and innovative way. Designing collaboratively with the client, from the initial brief throughout the development, making every step of the design process clear.
    I graduated from the Politecnico di Milano with a study on type and legibility. I got a master's in Typeface design from the University of Reading, after which I joined Dalton Maag. I worked there from late 2012 to mid 2019, refining and expanding my skills; learning about processes, teamwork, managing big projects with tight deadlines. I had the opportunity to lead projects of international relevance, dive deep into the technical aspects of font production, and be the team manager of a fantastic group of designers.
   Teaching has always complemented my designer profile, trying to bring theory and practice together. Between 2007 and 2011, I taught in various institutes in Italy, and since 2015, I’ve been a visiting lecturer at the Typeface Design master program at the University of Reading, UK. Since 2024, I’ve been an instructor of the Type West Online program at the Letterform Archive. My primary research over the last few years is about how to approach the design of a type revival. I’ve been exploring this topic together with Riccardo Olocco since 2015, leading a workshop at the MATD in Reading, refining a process and defining a set of procedures that can facilitate the development of a typeface based on historical sources. We collected our thoughts, procedures and reflections on the practice of designing a type revival in the book Designing type revivals published by Lazy Dog Press.