Meet Paul Sirmon | Brand Designer & Lover of Typography

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paul Sirmon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paul, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
My friend and fellow type nerd have always wanted to create our own fonts and typefaces. We’d try to encourage each to be consistent with it, but we needed more accountability for each other. So we created a monthly meet-up for us to do just that. After meeting a couple times and seeing that it was helping us we thought there might be other creatives out there who could also benefit from an accountability system for whatever their pursuits might be, We officially opened it up for anyone to join in August 2013.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Monsters of Type is a monthly meet-up for creatives, hosted by seasoned industry pros, Justin Miller and Paul Sirmon. Rooted in the belief that the power of community drives creative growth, MoT invites creatives at every stage of their journey to come together, connect, and elevate their craft. We foster an open and easy-going environment where sharing knowledge, engaging in shop talk, and embracing mutual accountability pave the way for creative development.

In the beginning Monsters of Type was just a simple accountability meeting for my co-founder, Justin Miller, and me and our shared pursuit of creating fonts and typefaces. After a few months we decided to open it up to anyone else interested in fonts and type, hence the name Monsters of “Type.”

We quickly found out that creatives of all disciplines were showing up, connecting and learning from each other and today we don’t solely focus on typography, but it’s generally the center of our activities.

Today, any and everyone in the design and creative fields that are looking for some accountability in their professional pursuits, a place to connect with like-minded creatives, and/or a place to learn from veterans of the trade are welcome.

What’s different about our group is that while other organized creative groups charge for entry or membership, we keep it free and open to anyone who wants to come. We like to keep it easy. and approachable. We encourage everyone to participate and make the group what they want it to be. If someone wants to teach everyone something, they can. If they want to bring pencils and just sit and sketch, they’re free to do that. For some it’s finding someone to talk to about their job or latest project.

We’ve had our fair share of challenges. Since the group is an in-person meet-up the pandemic threw a wrench in our schedule. Having a strong and committed group really helped us pull through the pandemic while meeting virtually and we are now stronger than ever.

Along the way people have come and gone, but we’ve been able to develop relationships that have stood the test of time. This group has helped so many people connect and some people have found employment, got encouraged to start a side hustle, grow their skillset, or just find an outlet to talk shop and get advice.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This isn’t really a “night on the town” kind of answer, but since we’re a public meet-up group we’ve met at lots of places around DFW. While we primarily serve the Fort Worth side of the metroplex, we’ve been around. Some of our favorite places to meet have been Hop & Sting Brewing in Grapevine for their magnificent beer and their on-site food from Vaqueros BBQ. Recently we met up at Maple Branch Brewery which is a fantastic place for food and drink.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My co-founder, Justin Miller, is a constant source of support and encouragement. I’m very thankful to the creative and design community in DFW for participating in our group and helping to keep it alive after 10 years.

Website: monstersoftype.com

Instagram: monstersoftype

Image Credits
Photos by Paul Sirmon and Jon Noel.