Type Electives Workshops 2024 ↗

Display typefaces are statements of love towards the craft of type design. They offer opportunities to push the boundaries of legibility, creativity, and self-expression while inviting us to engage in conversation with language, culture, and form. Designing display typefaces is a useful skill to develop a deep understanding of the tools and processes for making type as well as finding one’s unique voice in the field.

In this ten-week workshop, we’ll learn the foundations for designing display typefaces that speak for themselves. Through an emphasis on sketching methods and design strategies, you’ll learn how to make letterforms and produce fonts that stand out. Participants will do research to develop their own design brief, practice rigorously through weekly drawing exercises, and hone their personal discipline and craftsmanship.

This class will cover the basics of drawing letterforms by hand and digitally using Bézier curves in order to design coherent systems and develop your own typographic language. Whether you’re a graphic designer or a budding type designer, this class will help you step up your type game, get out of your comfort zone, or level up before a masters program. Let’s have some serious fun and put your talents on display.

Audience and Format

This class will be taught online via Zoom and Slack. There will be class participation and homework each week to enable students to challenge themselves and develop practical and critical skills. The ideal student can range from someone with a basic understanding of Bézier curves (e.g. the pen tool in Adobe Illustrator) who is making a font for the first time to someone with years of experience and mastery of the tools who wants to use this as an opportunity to continue developing their practice and join a community of learners. The most important qualities for success in this class are to be curious, have an open mind, and a willingness to iterate and challenge yourself.

Goals

• Discover your own process and develop an efficient workflow
• Develop your eye to judge consistency in contrast, color, spacing, and rhythm
• Develop an understanding of the relationship between calligraphy, lettering, and type
• Join a community of people passionate about letterforms
• Learn digital drafting skills
• Learn how to use Glyphs App, a digital font editor
• Learn the basics of type design
• Learn how to design and space a basic Latin character set
• Learn how to proof and evaluate a typeface
• Learn the basics of OpenType and Language support
• Learn to draw for interpolation and produce variable fonts

Are you struggling to finish your typeface? Did you recently finish a type design program and are missing the regular feedback sessions? Or perhaps you simply want to develop your typeface in a group of like-minded and motivated classmates? If any of this sounds relatable, this class might be perfect for you!

Type Design Development Workshop is a critique-based course with no lectures and no b.s.! Each student will bring in a project that is in its early or middle stages to work on for the duration of this class. Over the span of 10 weeks, students will have a feedback session every other week with a small group of classmates. In the 2 hour crit sessions, each student will get a chance to present their work and get comments from the instructor. In the weeks between crit sessions, there will be an optional office hour for students to ask questions, solve technical problems, or receive additional feedback.

While this is a structured class, student projects will vary and therefore the information covered and outcomes will vary as well. Each student will set their own goals for their project based on their own skill level and desired outcomes. These outcomes are wholly dependent on the effort and motivation of the students individually. If you’re ready to put in the work and bring your project forward, join us!

This class will be great for you if:

• You have an unfinished typeface that you’re struggling to move forward
• You learned the basics but would like to produce more refined work
• You previously made a one style typeface but would like to develop it into a family
• You simply need the external accountability to finish your project

Audience and Format

This class is open to intermediate type design students. There will be no lectures and we will not be covering specific material — this class will be an opportunity to build off of skills you have learned in a previous class or program. It is meant for students who would like a rigorous yet supportive environment for developing their typeface.

This class is taught online via Zoom. With an accompanying Slack channel, students will have a communal space for sharing work and troubleshooting. Students should expect to spend time outside of class working on their projects — class time will be for feedback only.

Goals

• Make progress on a typeface
• Develop a critical eye for type
• Create a supportive community based in growth and accountability
• The outcome of this class will depend on the individual student and their project. Ideally, each student has accomplished their goals set at the beginning of class and they will be able to continue their projects after the class is over.

Type design is a tricky thing to learn on your own and a 10-week or year-long program is a big commitment — test the typographic waters in this condensed, 5-week type design class! We will learn the fundamentals of type design while cheering each other on in a virtual classroom. You will learn how to create an original design concept and translate it into a functional typeface in an uppercase A-Z character set while keeping spacing and usability in mind.

Whether you’re a graphic designer or a beginner type designer, you will learn the ins and outs of the type design process with like-minded comrades. At the end of this course, you will have the skills to continue your type design practice or feel prepared for a longer type design program. You will have enhanced your typographic vocab and gained an intimate understanding of what it takes to be a type designer. Let’s draw letters together!

Audience and Format

This class is open to beginner through intermediate type design students. We will cover the process of making a font from ideation to creating your very own type specimen. It is meant for students who would like a rigorous yet supportive environment for learning about type design.

This class is taught online via Zoom. With an accompanying Slack channel, students will have a communal space for sharing work and troubleshooting. Each week, students will be expected to watch pre-recorded lectures and spend a few hours outside of class working on their typeface.

Goals

• Create an original or revival typeface
• Have an understanding of the type design process
• Create a supportive community of type enthusiasts
• Learn the ins & outs of the Glyphs App
• Learn how to design Latin caps (A-Z)
• Develop an eye for spacing
• Gain proofing skills & a typographic vocabulary
• Create a small type specimen that celebrates your project