The University of the Arts

GD210 LETTERFORM DESIGN

The analysis and development of letterforms. The norms of weight, proportion, character width, and alphabetic relationships are developed perceptually, by hand. This course stresses the inherent optical relationships that exist in the construction of typefaces derived from the Latin alphabet. Prerequisite: Completion of the Foundation program, or permission of the instructor by portfolio review and interview.

Using drawing and paining, students first explore the formal proportions of letterforms, developing an understanding of the classical proportions derived from the Latin alphabet. These initial designs then become hand-drawn word-forms which communicate a concept through the formal characteristic of the forms created.