Tomi Haaparanta
Tomi Haaparanta was born in Finland, in 1967. He has studied Graphic Design in the University of Industrial Arts in Helsinki, and also in the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, where he discovered type design during a short course held by Phil Baines. Haaparanta still holds a grudge against Baines for that.
Tomi Haaparanta has been making typefaces for the past ten(ish) years now, and his computer now holds some three to four hundred typefaces and families, some of which are a great embarrassment to the designer. He has a background as an Art Director in various agencies, and as a Type Designer in HEL, where he designed quite a few typefaces for many Finnish and international clients, including Protokid for Diesel Industries Kids wear department. HEL also produced a few typefaces of their own: the War font set and Denim set are distributed by T-26.
Tomi Haaparanta has also been teaching type design in the University of Industrial Arts in Helsinki for the past four years, and is currently working as a Graphic Designer in Taivas Design, a Brand Design Agency in Helsinki, after a brief and unsuccessful attempt of making it big in mobile media in London.
His fonts are distributed by Psy/Ops, Agfa Monotype, and some dozen typefaces by T-26, including Tyrant, TeeBone, Tension, and Target, which has been one of the foundry's best-sellers for the past five years.
[Tomi Haaparanta, April 2002]
