Expand your typeface and your perspective on type design.
Immerse yourself in the world of type design while surrounded by the support of industry professionals and a community of like-minded typophiles. This live, online program is for designers who already have the beginnings of a typeface, but want to build it out into a multi-weight family. Students will work towards creating two compatible masters that are ready to interpolate into a larger family.
Participants who do not have a Glyphs license yet receive an extended trial license and can purchase their own full license at a discount.
Practica Latin Two: Expansion
April 1–July 15, 2026
Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10:30am CST (Chicago)
We’ll focus on developing a more reflective design process and a more thoughtful typeface — one that is an expression of your unique outlook but also meets the needs of readers and users of type. Through the work of your classmates you’ll be exposed to a variety of typeface genres, giving you a window into approaches and styles outside of your own. We’ll weave these elements together and build a strong foundation in typeface design, not only for your current typeface but for future projects as well.
Through lectures and feedback sessions, we’ll explore these topics and dive into type design as a living, evolving discipline. By the end, you’ll be ready to tackle more complex projects with more confidence, and will have a better understanding of contemporary type design practice.
What you’ll learn:
- Designing according to the intended use of your font
- Building a strong visual system
- Structuring font families and their design spaces
- Creating new weights or styles through interpolation
- Developing a more efficient and reflective type design process
- Expanding character sets and designing diacritics
- Keeping yourself motivated throughout development
- The importance of writing systems outside Latin
- Insight into the professional world of typeface design
What’s included:
- 53 course hours
- Live classes held over Zoom on Wednesday and Thursdays
- Lectures, feedback sessions, font file reviews, focused instruction to push your ideas further
- Ability to watch lectures again (lectures are live, but recorded)
- Individual feedback on your typeface
- Five guest lectures and one guest critique from industry professionals
- Access to our private Discord community
- Free temporary Glyphs license
- Certificate of completion (80% attendance required)
Schedule:
- April 1: Course introduction + lecture
- April 2: Lecture: the brief, making useful type
- April 8: Project introductions
- April 9: Guest lecture
- April 15: Lecture: systems in typeface design + feedback session
- April 16: Lecture: planning your typeface family, intro to interpolation
- April 22: Feedback session
- April 23: Lecture: interpolation and its possibilities, design space ideation
- April 29: Review of students’ font files
- April 30: Mini lecture: Designing proofs for feedback + Special session: Q&A, part one
- May 6: Feedback session
- May 7: Special session: Q&A part two
- May 13: Feedback session
- May 14: Guest lecture: case study
- May 20–21: Individual feedback sessions
- May 27: Feedback session
- May 28: Guest lecture: the design of diacritics with Aleksandra Samuļenkova
- June 3: Feedback session with visiting critic
- June 4: Feedback session: diacritics with Aleksandra Samuļenkova
- June 10: Feedback session
- June 11: Guest lecture
- June 17: Feedback session
- June 18: Lecture: the design of punctuation, numbers and more
- June 24: Variable fonts workshop
- June 25: Feedback session: punctuation
- July 8–9: Individual feedback sessions
- July 15: Final presentations
Where?
Live Zoom sessions
Who?
Nicole Dotin
Sol Matas
For Whom?
You are expected to have designed a typeface before or have finished Practica Latin One. Read more.
How Much?
Multiple tiers between USD 1600 and 2300, more info on the Practica site.
Language
English
Prerequisites
Mac with Glyphs preinstalled. Internet connection, a layout program like Affinity Publisher or InDesign. Zoom and Discord accounts (both free).
Registration
Applications open March 2, 2026. Prepare a cover letter and a PDF specimen.
