Class Overview
Reimagine the alphabet! We think of letters as symbols—but they are also shapes with a life of their own. This class is a chance for designers, artists, and creatives to take a walk on the wild side of type design.
In this experimental workshop, students will create an original display typeface. If you were ever interested in type design but found yourself intimidated by all of the rules, this class might be for you. Instead of poring over historical models, we will focus on generating new ideas and overcoming creative blocks to create letters for powerful, expressive contemporary typography.
Learn how to draw exciting new shapes using an assortment of conventional and improvised materials and create a typeface using Glyphs (or the font editor of your choice). Students will use both analog and digital media and, in doing so, develop their sense of creative direction. Class time is dedicated to working on your project with individualized feedback, supplemented by occasional lectures, technical demonstrations, and group critique. By the end of the class, you will have a working display typeface, as well as an experimental workflow that you can use for future font creation.
Students will be encouraged to spend up to 10 hours on homework outside of class time. Typefaces and lettering take a lot of time, but time flies when experimenting, drawing, and editing!
See also: Type Design Basics and other Graphic Design or art classes.
Learning Objectives
- Create your own original letterforms
- Digitize and refine your original design
- Become familiar with a digital type design workflow
- Learn to draw letters with experimental media
- Develop practical tools to overcome creative blocks
- Develop strategies for creative direction
Who Might Enjoy This Class?
- Anyone who wants to develop their own custom font
- Graphic designers, illustrators, lettering artists, type designers
- Artists, crafters, creatives and anyone who would like to step outside their artistic comfort zone
- No prerequisites, but basic graphic design/typography knowledge is recommended