Type Design
The atoms of design
Design Disciplines · EXPLORE
Type designers draw the letterforms every other designer depends on. A single typeface can take years: hundreds of glyphs, optical corrections, spacing, and weights, all holding together as one voice.
It is the slowest and most exacting discipline in design — and the most foundational. Every word you have ever read passed through a type designer's hands.
What gets designed
- Typefaces and font families
- Custom lettering
- Brand typefaces
- Variable fonts
Principles
- Rhythm and consistency across letters
- Optical correction over math
- Spacing matters as much as shapes
- Designed for a purpose and a size
Examples
- Helvetica
- Johnston for London Underground
- Matthew Carter's Verdana
- Inter and other screen typefaces