How to design your own typeface

After many years as a graphic designer and type enthusiast, I decided to channel some of my passion into my own lettering and typography design projects. After researching how to make your own font, it seemed a natural evolution to try my hand at designing a typeface. Much has been written about type design; on the history, drawing and technical complexities of creating typefaces (I've linked to some excellent resources at the bottom of this article) and many typography tutorials. But where exactly do you begin if you want to make your own font? If you're a designer or illustrator new to this discipline, what are the first practical steps, the common software and early considerations to get you going? I had found some useful pieces of information but they were scattered across many sources and many were dated by technology. Sharing insights 01. Designing a typeface can be a long journey so it's prudent to have a clear vision of its purpose. The options are vast. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. Related: Typographie

Type Worship Glyphs Mini The Brush Lettering Technique That Can Instantly Improve Your Writing I want to preface this post by saying that I am no professional calligrapher. I am not an expert. I am simply a woman who has been obsessively writing with my brush pens for a few weeks now and has done a ton of research for the fun of it. Brush Pens Before I get into the techniques, I need to talk turkey about the pens. These pens are also cool because you can blend them without damaging the lighter colors. You have a ton of options, so don’t be shy! The Big Brush Lettering Technique So you have your brush pen and your nice paper (cardstock is great for this, or sketchbook paper). All you gotta do is apply heavy pressure on the down stroke of your pen and light pressure on the up stroke. And remember what I said about using this technique with no brush pen? Of course, there are many more brush lettering techniques you must learn before you are a master. Besides the line variation, you’ll also notice that the color lightens and darkens naturally according to the pressure of my pen. P.S.

List of Font Creation Software Share on Tumblr Below is a list of software that allows you to create and modify a font. Fontlab Studio is a professional font editor for both Windows and Mac OS. It allows you to design typefaces and create or modify fonts and it supports all major outline font formats, including Type1, TrueType, Multiple Master and OpentType. [$649] Font Creator is a shareware TrueType font editor for Windows. It has all the features for you to make new fonts, edit existing fonts and you can also use its advanced import features to make your handwriting font or add signatures, logos and symbols to existing fonts. [$79~299] TypeTool is a basic font editor for both Windows and Mac OS. Fontographer is a classic font editor for Windows and Mac OS. BitFonter is a professional bitmap font editor for both Windows and Mac OS. Scannahand is an easy-to-use handwriting font maker for Windows. Glyphs is a font editor for Mac OS.

Presentation Design 101 Great presentation design is all about simplicity: long gone are the days of layered, pixelated clip art and fourteen columns of bullet points. Instead, it’s about rewarding your audience with visual harmony and minimalism. Looking to update your presentation design from the 90’s? Here are a few tips: 1One Idea Content is the backbone of your slides, but that doesn’t mean it needs to carry the design weight. 2Selecting the Image Only the best and boldest will do. 3A Word on Fonts With Canva, you aren’t merely tied to PowerPoint fonts in your design, which widens the pool of selection. Recommended reading: The Ultimate Guide to Font Pairings 4The Rule of Thirds The Rule of Thirds is a visual technique that creates space and harmony in photography, art, and of course: presentations. 5Color Scheme When selecting a color palette for your presentation, be wary of choosing too many shades. 6Consistency Just because they are individual slides doesn’t mean they need to express individuality. See On

The Typography of ‘Stranger Things’ – Nelson Cash Like most of us at Nelson Cash, you’ve probably heard about Netflix’s latest cult show Stranger Things from your best friend or work buddy. And if you’re like me, you innocently pushed play on a work night and by midnight realized the scene in your living room was looking a lot like that one Portlandia skit. Yes, the show is really that good. But what got me? These 52 seconds: As a person who spends her days trying to effectively communicate with people through design, I recognized another star on the screen: that typography, tho The Stranger Things title sequence is pure, unadulterated typographic porn. But how do a few pans of a logo accomplish so much in such a short amount of time? 1. The Stranger Things logo probably looks strangely familiar, taking you back to an era when Stephen King reigned supreme. Immediately recognizable to anyone that lived through the 80s, those covers bring chills to your spine. 2. Glowing red lines enter the frame. 3.

new serif Test Your Type Kerning Skills With This Free Kerning Game Kerning is the process of adjusting the spacing between characters in a font; usually with the goal of creating more visually appealing and easier to read type. I recently came across KernType, a free online game to help designers and type lovers test their kerning abilities. What’s great about this little offering is it shows you in real time, the areas you may need improvement. It tests your kerning abilities to those of “professional typographers”. Give it a try. If you’re a logo designer or someone who works a lot with type, you’ll find KernType helpful and maybe even a little entertaining. This website is authored and run by Derek Kimball.