Introduction to Modern Type Design (Thursdays)

This 10-week course is an introduction to the techniques and processes used in professional type design. Students will create their own original typefaces as they gain an understanding of the methodologies and software used to produce high-quality digital type.

The primary goal of this course is for students to learn how to think about type systematically and how to successfully structure the type design process. The course will focus on techniques and best practices for designing and spacing type, but will also introduce students to the conceptual foundations of type design, Python programming in RoboFont, and the structure of type families.

This course is suitable for designers just starting to think about type and for designers with some type design experience hoping to develop their skills and processes. Some experience with drawing Bézier curves (in Adobe Illustrator, for instance) and with typography is recommended but not required. This is a great course for anyone interested in applying to the Type West Postgraduate Certificate Program in Type Design.

Students will work on their own laptops, which must be running Mac OS X 10.9 or higher. A free temporary license for RoboFont will be made available to all participants.

Required Materials

• Laptop running Mac OS X 10.9 or higher
• Adobe InDesign
• Paper for sketching
• Black pen or marker for sketching
• A 5mm or 6mm flat-tipped calligraphy marker