Probably similar to other countries, most French news in 2000 came from the web. Several type designers now have their own domain name and others have set up information websites about type.

We asked John Downer, an American specialist in sign painting, to comment on several pictures taken in our home city of Malakoff, a surburb of Paris. This article was initially published in 2000. In 2004, couple of the original signs are gone. Its why we decided to update the article a little bit.

It all began in September 1997, during the ATypI conference in Reading, England, when Mark Batty asked me if I would be involved (with others) in organising the next conference, which would be held somewhere in France. In November, the organising team — which then consisted of Robert Norton, Thomas Gravemaker, Sharon Irving, Mark Batty and me — decided that the city of Lyon was the best location.