19 January30 May 2023
Online Program

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.
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.
Join us Winter 2023 and dig deeper into typeface design.

— 18-week type design course
— All sessions are live and online
— Tuition is set on a sliding scale
— Sessions are held in English

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 Two: Expansion

19 January through 30 May 2023,
Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:00 p.m. CST (Chicago)

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:

  • Live classes held over Zoom on Tuesdays 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 critique from industry professionals
  • Access to our private Discord community
  • Free trial Glyphs license

Schedule:

  • Jan 18: Course introductions, lecture
  • Jan 24: Students introduce their typefaces
  • Jan 26: Lecture: the brief, making useful type
  • Jan 31: Feedback session, mini lecture: proofs as documentation
  • Feb 2: Lecture: the system of the black
  • Feb 7: Flex session: Q&A
  • Feb 9: Lecture: planning your typeface family, intro to interpolation
  • Feb 14: Feedback session
  • Feb 16: Lecture: interpolation and its possibilities, design space ideation
  • Feb 21: Review of students’ font files
  • Feb 23: Lecture with Nina Stössinger: a case study
  • Feb 28: Feedback session
  • Mar 2: Lecture with Aleksandra Samuļenkova: the design of diacritics
  • Mar 7—19: Individual feedback sessions
  • Mar 14: Feedback session
  • Mar 16: Feedback session: diacritics with Aleksandra
  • Mar 21: Feedback session
  • Mar 23: Lecture with Kalapi Gajjar-Birdawekar: type, culture and global scripts
  • Mar 28: Feedback session with Cyrus Highsmith
  • Mar 30: Lecture with Alice Savoie: the role of research in typeface design
  • Apr 11: Review of students’ font files
  • Apr 13: Lecture: Design of numbers, punctuation, and more
  • Apr 18: Feedback session
  • Apr 20: Feedback session: punctuation
  • Apr 25: Feedback session
  • Apr 27: Lecture with Rutherford Craze: professional practice
  • May 2—4: Independant work time, no class this week
  • May 9—11: Individual feedback sessions
  • May 16—18: Independant work time, no class this week
  • May 23—25: Individual feedback sessions
  • May 30: Final presentations 🎉

Our program is now two complementary courses, Practica One and Two, that can be taken back-to-back or separately, totaling 24 weeks in all (with a nice break in between).

Where?

Live Zoom sessions

Who?

Nicole Dotin, Process Type Foundry
Sol Matas, Hungry Type Society

Visiting Instructors:
Rutherford Craze, Mass-Driver
Kalapi Gajjar-Bordawekar, Universal Thirst
Cyrus Highsmith, Occupant Fonts
Aleksandra Samuļenkova
Alice Savoie
Nina Stössinger, Frere-Jones Type

For Whom?

Some experience with type design expected. Read more.

How Much?

Starting at USD 2060, and one work study position for a person with demonstrated need

Language

English

Prerequisites

Mac with Glyphs preinstalled. Internet connection, a layout program like Affinity Publisher or InDesign. Zoom and Discord accounts (both free).