8 years ago from Laurie Cai, Designer @ Twitch
I've recently been inspired by the work of Jorgen Grotdal and want to design my own type. Does anyone have experience doing this? What's the process and what programs did you use?
➀ Know the history, rules & basics of typography [http://typeworkshop.com/index.php?id1=type-basics]
➁ Find inspiration
➂ Sketch, scribble & draw (a lot)
➃ Digitise those*
➄ Design & build each and every single character
➅ Export a working typeface
(*I currently use FontLab/TypeTool. Others may recommend RoboFont and Glyphs, as well.)
By the way, the work of Jorgen Grotdal I would rather classify as Lettering, than actual Type/Typeface Design? (If it actually is lettering you are interested in, just skip the last two steps. ;)
Edit/Addendum: http://typographica.org/on-typography/sketching-out-of-my-comfort-zone-a-type-design-experiment/, http://lettershoppe.com/top-resources-for-learning-hand-lettering/, http://theindustry.cc/author/ryan/, http://typophile.com, http://lettercult.com
So many resources! Will check these all out :)
Awesome overview! I spent a whole semester at school creating 3 different typefaces this way. It made me appreciate a well digitized letterform and finally throw away all those free fonts!
My one bit of advice in the sketching is to get a big sketchpad and draw child-style lines to help guide you. I used Elements of Typographic Style to learn what some of the basic element are of all letters and went from there.
Also, always start with the capitol O!
Thanks for the tips! Out of curiousity, why do you start with a capital O?
'O' is good for a couple things. It's a good starting point in terms of width, with a 'W' or 'M' being a very wide character. It also sets your thin and thick points and you use those widths in other characters. It also is an easy transition into 'Q' or 'G'. Q is my favorite letter, so I like starting with the 'O' too!
Have a look at FontLab Studio and Glyphs app; those are a couple of the most popular tools to create fonts. If you do a google/youtube search for either, you'll find all kinds of tutorials.
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