Explore the wonders of Devanagari letterforms. From hand-painted signs to modern printed letters, discover the rich typographic tradition of South Asia as expressed through the Devanagari script.
Practica Program: Intro to Devanagari
What you’ll learn:
Understanding of the construction and proportions of Devanagari letterforms
A visual survey of the past, present, and future of Devanagari letterforms
Creating new styles for Devanagari letterforms through several exercises
Introduction to drawing a Devanagari typeface in Glyphs 3
Creating a brief for a new typeface project
Looking at how the script functions and the rendering of Devanagari in text input tools.
Students begin by learning about the structure and evolution of the script, and then experiment with making their own Devanagari letterforms through prompts and weekly assignments. Individualized feedback helps students improve the quality of their letters, but also develop their own ability to critically analyze Devanagari forms. The final weeks are devoted to understanding what is involved in making a Devanagari typeface — from initial idea, to Béziers, to an overview of the programming involved. By the end of the course, students will have a holistic overview of the Devanagari script and a foundation for creating their own Devanagari typeface.
Class schedule:
October 9 / Course introduction, lecture: an overview of the script and its evolution plus visiting lecture with Aashim Tyagi
October 13 / Bonus: phonetics of Devanagari script
October 14 / Feedback session: hand-painted letters
October 16 / Lecture: proportions, terminology, metrics, and the influence of tools
October 21 / Feedback session: TypeCooker exercise
October 23 / Lecture: the type design process and state of Devanagari type design
October 28 / Feedback session: missing letter exercise
October 30 / Demo: moving to a font editor
November 4 / Feedback session: marks and conjuncts
November 5 / Lecture with visiting instructor
November 11 / Feedback session: the design brief and an initial word
November 13 / Lecture: expanding from idea to typeface and next steps
Bonus: basics of drawing good curves in Glyphs with Sol Matas (pre-recorded)
- When?
- Wednesdays and Fridays, October 9–November 13, 2026
Classes begin at 7:30pm Mumbai, 4pm Berlin, 10am New York time.
21 total course hours, live classes held over Zoom. Students should expect to spend roughly two hours a week on homework or research outside of class. - Who?
- Kimya Gandhi (Mota Italic)
- For Whom?
- No prior experience with Devanagari is required, however a basic grasp of drawing in vector programs, like Illustrator or a font editor, is needed for most of the homework.
- How Much?
Starting at USD 395
For all available tiers, see the course page.
Enrollment opens September 28, 2026.- Language
- English
- Prerequisites
Basic materials for sketching letters: pencils and paper or a sketchbook
Paint, a brush, and paper (a small amount of poster paint or paint of choice, a ¼” to ½” flat brush, plus a couple sheets of paper suitable for the paint)
Access to a printer is preferred but not necessary.
Mac with Glyphs 4 preinstalled.
A Miro account (free)
Plus, the basics for joining an online class.