Type Electives
Type Electives is a New York-based online design school founded in 2022, offering live Zoom-delivered courses and a free lecture series in type design, lettering, and creative technology to a global community of students, with revenue from tuition, corporate sponsorships, recurring donations, and a BIPOC scholarship fund.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- Headquarters—
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Type Electives does
Type Electives is an online design school founded in 2022 and headquartered in New York City by typeface designers Lynne Yun and Juan Villanueva. The company offers live, instructor-led online courses focused on letterforms, including type design, lettering, and creative technology, serving aspiring and practicing type designers, graphic designers expanding into type, and BIPOC students with a tiered scholarship program. Courses range from one-week workshops to ten-week intensives and are typically run in cohort sizes of 10 to 18 students per class; the school launched in January 2023 with eight courses alongside a free virtual lecture series that has run on roughly a termly cadence since.
The platform runs on commodity infrastructure rather than proprietary IP: live instruction is delivered via Zoom and asynchronous community interaction happens in shared Slack workspaces, while enrollment, scholarship administration, and sponsorship billing are managed through the company's own website (typeelectives.com) rather than a third-party LMS. The curriculum is curated to cover analog lettering, digital type design, and emerging creative technology — including introductory generative typography taught with p5.js and augmented reality for type — and is taught by a faculty of working practitioners led by the co-founders, who are connected to Monotype, Type@Cooper, and Parsons School of Design.
Revenue is generated through four streams: course tuition from individual student enrollments, corporate sponsorship under a published six-tier ladder from $1,500 (Lecture Series Sponsor) to $20,000+ (Visionary Partner), recurring monthly contributions from individual supporters at $5, $15, and $30 tiers, and one-time donations to the scholarship fund. Distribution is exclusively direct-to-consumer through the website, supported by a Substack newsletter and organic social presence on Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and Facebook, plus earned media such as an Ohno Radio interview. The company is privately held with no institutional funding, no parent company, and a disclosed headcount of approximately five; a Graphic Designer was added in 2025, coinciding with co-founder Lynne Yun's transition out of the Founding Director role.
Type Electives firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Type Electives
- Legal name
- Type Electives
- Website
- https://typeelectives.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Type Electives is a New York-based online design school founded in 2022, offering live Zoom-delivered courses and a free lecture series in type design, lettering, and creative technology to a global community of students, with revenue from tuition, corporate sponsorships, recurring donations, and a BIPOC scholarship fund.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Type Electives industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Type Design Education
- NAICS
- All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Educational Services (611), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs (EDAAAEAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Creator-Led Course Hosting & Monetization Platforms (EDAFAIAC)
Keywords
Type Electives business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Course Tuition: Revenue from student enrollment in live online courses ranging from 2-week workshops to 10-week courses. Tuition fees fund instruction, staffing, and scholarship seats.
- Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorship tiers ranging from $1,500 for lecture series sponsorship to $20,000+ for Visionary Partner status. Sponsors fund courses, workshops, and educational initiatives.
- Monthly Contributions: Recurring monthly donations from supporters at Friend ($5/month), Supporter ($15/month), and Advocate ($30/month) tiers, funding scholarships and educational access.
- Scholarship Fund Donations: One-time contributions to support scholarships for underrepresented students in type and design education.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Visionary Partner — $20,000+ |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Long-Course Sponsor — $12,000 |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Short-Course Sponsor — $6,000 |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Community Sponsor — $4,000 |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Emerging Voices Sponsor — $2,000 |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Lecture Series Sponsor — $1,500+ |
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Bold Scholarship (Full Support) |
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Semi-Bold Scholarship — 25% tuition |
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Medium Scholarship — 50% tuition |
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Light Scholarship — 75% tuition |
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Pay What You Can |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels8 records
Type Electives product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Type Electives is an online design school that sells live, instructor-led courses focused on letterforms, including type design, lettering, and creative technology. Course formats range from 1-week workshops to 10-week intensives, delivered globally via Zoom and Slack, and the company also runs a free virtual Lecture Series, a BIPOC scholarship program with tiered tuition assistance, and a corporate sponsorship program with six tiers ($1,500 to $20,000+).
Product overview
Type Electives is an online design school offering live, instructor-led courses focused on letterforms and type design, operating as a single integrated educational platform. The core offering is a portfolio of short-format and long-format courses (ranging from 1-week workshops to 10-week intensives) supplemented by a free virtual Lecture Series, a scholarship program with tiered tuition assistance for BIPOC students, and community funding mechanisms including one-time donations, monthly contribution tiers (Friend, Supporter, Advocate), and corporate sponsorships at six levels ($1,500–$20,000+). Courses are delivered via Zoom and Slack, with enrollment and funding supported by the school's own infrastructure rather than a third-party LMS.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Live Online Courses (Core Curriculum) Live, instructor-led online classes focused on letterforms including type design, lettering, and creative technology, ranging from introductory 1-week workshops to advanced 10-week intensives, typically with 10–18 seats per class. Delivered via Zoom and Slack and aimed at individual learners worldwide from beginners to those preparing for formal type design programs.
- Virtual Lecture Series Free virtual lecture series featuring talks by new and established voices in type and design, with each term comprising approximately five sessions. Functions as community programming and outreach; one full term can be sponsored for $1,500+.
- BIPOC Scholarship Program Need-based scholarship seats for BIPOC participants with multiple tuition tiers ranging from Pay What You Can up to the Bold Scholarship (Full Support, 100% tuition coverage), with intermediate Semi-Bold (25%), Medium (50%), and Light (75%) scholarship tiers. Priority is given to participants with limited resources or access to educational opportunities.
- Monthly Contribution Program (Support Us) Recurring monthly contributions from supporters at Friend ($5/month), Supporter ($15/month), and Advocate ($30/month) tiers, plus one-time donations, with funds directed to scholarships for learners in need.
- Corporate Sponsorship Program Six-tier corporate sponsorship program funding courses, scholarships, and programming: Lecture Series Sponsor ($1,500+), Emerging Voices Sponsor ($2,000), Community Sponsor ($4,000), Short-Course Sponsor ($6,000), Long-Course Sponsor ($12,000), and Visionary Partner ($20,000+). Benefits scale with tier from logo placement and social shoutouts to special acknowledgments and collaboration opportunities.
Companies that use Type Electives
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Type Electives technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Type Electives partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Space TypeminorSpace Type, an NYC studio operating at the intersection of type and technology, provides design and development services for the Type Electives website. Co-founder Lynne Yun currently runs Space Type.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Type Electives competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Letterform Archive: San Francisco-based nonprofit hosting workshops, lectures, and educational programming on letterforms and typography. Closely comparable as a niche type-education institution with live programming, public-facing lectures, and BIPOC/accessibility-focused scholarship programming.
- Skillshare: Subscription-based online creative education platform offering project-based courses in design, illustration, and lettering. Directly comparable as a DTC creative-learning destination where independent practitioners can monetize classes to consumers.
- The Futur: Creator-led online education platform for creative professionals offering paid courses, sponsorships, and a YouTube/community funnel. Comparable business model combining high-priced courses, sponsor-driven content, and a top-of-funnel free community to a creative audience.
- Domestika: Creator-led online course platform specializing in creative disciplines including lettering, typography, and illustration. Highly comparable in business model (creator-monetized courses, direct-to-consumer) and target learner (aspiring and practicing creatives).
- Type@Cooper: The Cooper Union's renowned type design program where both co-founders trained and previously taught. Comparable as a specialized type-design educational offering; Type Electives is in effect an online, more accessible continuation of the type education tradition Type@Cooper pioneered.
Emerging players
- Klim Type Foundry: Independent type foundry that has hosted workshops and educational programming around typography and typeface design. Comparable as a niche type industry player that monetizes expertise through education alongside commercial products.
- School of Motion: Online creative education platform offering cohort-based bootcamps and courses for motion designers. Comparable as a small, founder-led online creative school that scaled from a niche topic into paid cohort programs with sponsorship and community components.
Broad incumbents
- School of Visual Arts (SVA): Large NYC-based design school offering continuing education and certificate programs in typography, lettering, and design more broadly. Comparable as a NYC-based design school with continuing-education format and credentials adjacent to Type Electives' offering.
- CreativeLive: Long-standing online creative education platform with live and on-demand classes in design, photography, and creative business. Comparable as a DTC live-online creative education destination serving hobbyists and professionals.
Regional players
- KABK Type Design: Royal Academy of Art (The Hague) Master's program in Type Design, one of the leading European institutions for type design education. Comparable as a specialized type-design educational program competing for the same advanced student pool, though serving a primarily European cohort.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Type Electives social profiles
Digital presenceType Electives financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Type Electives leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Type Electives funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Type Electives M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Type Electives
What does Type Electives do?
Type Electives is an online design school that sells live, instructor-led courses focused on letterforms, including type design, lettering, and creative technology. Course formats range from 1-week workshops to 10-week intensives, delivered globally via Zoom and Slack, and the company also runs a free virtual Lecture Series, a BIPOC scholarship program with tiered tuition assistance, and a corporate sponsorship program with six tiers ($1,500 to $20,000+).
Is Type Electives a public or private company?
Type Electives is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Type Electives founded?
Type Electives was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.
How does Type Electives make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Course Tuition is the primary driver. The others are sponsorships, monthly Contributions and scholarship Fund Donations.
Who are Type Electives's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Letterform Archive, Skillshare, The Futur, Domestika and Type@Cooper. Emerging players are Klim Type Foundry and School of Motion. Broad incumbents are School of Visual Arts (SVA) and CreativeLive. KABK Type Design is listed as a regional player.
Does Type Electives have an API?
No public API is recorded for Type Electives.
What industry is Type Electives in?
Type Electives's product category is Online Type Design Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAEAL, Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs, with a secondary code of EDAFAIAC, Creator-Led Course Hosting & Monetization Platforms. Its NAICS code is 61169 and its SIC code is 8200.