Defying norms at -21°: how Cotton Design weaved technology and art into Backslash’s visual language

Each year, Typographics brings together a global community of designers, educators, and thinkers to explore the evolving role of typography in visual culture and communication.

This year’s main-stage programming includes speakers from across the design spectrum—featuring talks from Jon Key, 

, and many others. The programming spans topics from indigenous design history to experimental gesture-based typography—pushing the boundaries of type, motion, interaction, and authorship. 

Talia Cotton joins the 2025 lineup with a talk titled “

,” examining how today’s creative technologies challenge traditional notions of control in design. In a medium shaped by randomness, data, and interactivity, Talia asks: what does it mean to design intentionally? Through real-world methodologies and project examples, she reveals how designers can build systems that guide unpredictability, and when it’s worth surrendering control entirely.

Talia’s talk will take place during the main Typographics conference on June 27–28, 2025, at Cooper Union in New York City. Conference registration is required to attend.

Talia Cotton joins the Typographics 2025 lineup with “Taming Chaos”

 holds an annual internal conference, “All Co All Day”—a full-day virtual gathering dedicated to creativity, learning, and cross-disciplinary connection.

This year’s event will feature an impressive roster of speakers including Ari Melenciano, 

, Elizabeth Goodspeed, and many more, with programming designed to inspire and educate teams across design, development, strategy, and beyond.

Talia’s talk, “Prototyping Beyond Figma,” will explore how creative coding can push interactive design forward—highlighting tools like p5.js and TouchDesigner as powerful extensions of the design process.

The event will take place online on Jun 23, 2025. The event is private to Instrument employees and not open to the public.

Talia Cotton will be speaking at Instrument's internal conference, covering "Prototyping Beyond Figma."

This Friday, Talia Cotton will take the stage at the City and Regional Magazine Association’s 49th Annual Conference in Denver to lead a session on one of the most pressing issues facing the design industry: AI ethics.

As part of the conference’s design track, Talia’s talk will examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping the creative process—and the ethical responsibilities that come with it. With AI-generated imagery, automation, and editorial tooling becoming embedded in magazine workflows, her session will ask: What does “authorship” mean now? Who is accountable for the outcomes AI produces? And how can designers lead in setting ethical standards within their organizations?

The session is scheduled for Friday, June 6, from 10:00–11:00 AM MT, and is open to CRMA conference attendees. The event is held in Denver, Colorado, and hosted by 5280 Magazine.

Talia Cotton to speak on AI ethics at the 49th Annual CRMA Design Conference in Denver

Talia Cotton joins hosts Alex Center and Kevin Batory on the 

 podcast in this week's episode, “Unsolicited Advice.”

She talks about how the studio integrates coding into their practice, shares her plot to grow Cotton into a team of 110, riffs on advice from Stefan Sagmeister, and breaks down Pentagram's business structure as a strategy.

Center, Batory, and Cotton also cover hot-button topics including 

, personal vices, favorite restaurants, the eternal New York vs. Brooklyn debate, and more.

Defying norms at -21°: how Cotton Design weaved technology and art into Backslash’s visual language

Talia Cotton joins the Typographics 2025 lineup with “Taming Chaos”

Talia Cotton will be speaking at Instrument's internal conference, covering "Prototyping Beyond Figma."

Talia Cotton to speak on AI ethics at the 49th Annual CRMA Design Conference in Denver

"Unsolicited Advice": Talia Cotton on the Front & Center Podcast. Listen now on Spotify.

Cotton wins Creative Review's "Creative Innovation" Award for Brocade

Cotton's very own Noah Schwadron will be speaking at What Comes Next at Parsons School of Design. Tickets are free.