WHY LIGADO
We partner with type designers and foundries to help nurture their craft and grow their business.
Type designers today are asked to do more than ever — design, production, licensing, marketing, sales — often on their own. Ligado Studio bridges the gap between craft and business, supporting designers and foundries as they decide what to focus on next and how to move forward.
WHAT WE DO
Ligado Studio supports type designers and foundries across the creative and practical sides of their work. We don’t offer one-size-fits-all solutions — instead, we focus on the areas where experience and context matter most.
FOUNDRY GROWTH
AND STRATEGY
Practical guidance for building sustainable and profitable type businesses.
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Business planning and strategy: Identifying opportunities, refining pricing and distribution, and shaping long-term growth for your foundry.
Enterprise licensing and sales support: Structuring licenses and negotiating and managing enterprise or custom deals.
Legal and organizational planning: Foundry structure, EULAs, trademarks, acquisitions, and succession planning.
Foundry representation: Managing foundry operations so designers can focus on drawing type.
TYPE DEVELOPMENT AND CREATIVE SUPPORT
Creative and technical expertise to refine and develop your type library.
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Creative guidance: Structured feedback and critiques on type design concepts and ongoing projects.
Library development: Release planning and project prioritization to build a balanced, marketable library.
Custom type design: Flexible support for custom type projects, from design development and project management to final delivery.
MARKETING AND
COMMUNICATIONS
Foundry positioning and outreach to help you stand out and reach your audience.
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Brand strategy: Shaping a foundry’s voice, visual identity, and positioning across platforms.
Web design: Designing or refining foundry websites to improve user experience and increase sales.
Campaign and release planning: Coordinating messaging, assets, and timelines for launches and major releases.
Social media management: Developing and executing a strategy to increase visibility and engagement.
COMMUNITY
AND COACHING
Support and guidance for designers seeking clarity, accountability, and growth.
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One-on-one coaching: Helping designers stay focused and accountable.
Ligado Type Salons: Spaces for type designers to share knowledge, discuss challenges, and learn from one another.
TESTIMONIALS
ABOUT
Ligado Studio was founded by Joana Correia and Paley Dreier to help type designers build stronger businesses around their work. We’ve worked across the type industry in design and production, strategy and marketing, and sales and licensing. That experience gives us a practical understanding of how creative work and business decisions shape the long-term success of a foundry. We work with designers and foundries at all stages — whether you’re growing a catalog, launching a new studio, or thinking through the next chapter of your business. Our approach is collaborative, practical, and tailored to the realities of type design and foundry life.
JOANA CORREIA
Joana Correia is a type designer, founder of Nova Type Foundry, and co-founder of Ligado Studio. She brings together hands-on experience in type design and production with a deep understanding of the business side of foundries. She has worked in the type industry since 2011, including leading operations at Schriftlabor and managing foundry relations at The Type Founders.
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Joana holds an MA in Typeface Design from the University of Reading, an MBA from Porto Business School, and a Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching from Henley Business School. Originally from Portugal and now based in Vienna, Joana works with type designers and foundries to help them build stronger, more sustainable practices. Her perspective is shaped both by industry experience and by running her own foundry.
PALEY DREIER
Paley Dreier has spent more than fifteen years building businesses in the type industry. He has worked across licensing, distribution, enterprise sales, and foundry strategy, helping type businesses grow and adapt in a changing market. Before co-founding Ligado Studio, he founded The Type Founders, served as president and co-founder of Type Network, and was general manager of Webtype.
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Over the course of his career, he has worked with hundreds of type designers and many of the world’s most recognized brands, structuring major licensing deals and distribution partnerships. Paley holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and lives on a farm in Hopewell, New Jersey with his wife and dog.
CONTACT
Have a specific challenge or opportunity in mind? We’re always happy to talk with designers and foundries about their work and where they want to go next.