When you study graphic design, the world of typography attracts like a great magnet, because the letters meet all the graphic requirements in a single letter. Since in a single character functionality is transmitted by allowing a recognizable silhouette, symbolic because it transmits a sound and aesthetics because it transmits a statement through its shape, such as a serif like a Times transmits tradition and stately, a Comic transmits childish and informal .
If your goal is to create a specific typography you can achieve it, you only have to take into account a few specific steps and control the vector drawing a little. To make it faster and more pleasant, we accompany you through the process and give you the guidelines to follow. You will see that your desire and this post will make you start off on the right foot, then you will have to have time and patience to make all the letters of the alphabet and perhaps you will dare to make versions, because once you start making a typeface it hooks you.
Specialize with a course in graphic and multimedia design!
Next we help you start your own typography.
Before starting
- you have to think what is the use of this new typography, the reasons could be different, for example it is a typeface for a social objective for only slogans, for example an NGO or association advertising campaign and what do you want to convey with it. Or, on the contrary, it is a typeface to be read in a continuous text or you want to evoke other times. Or you just want to create a transcribed typeface to have your own registered hand typeface. Asking why and how to do it will help you focus on a certain style and know the potential of its reading, if it is handwritten or artistic in very small sizes it may not be read well.
- keep the style in all the characters: you have to keep in mind that all the letters have to be recognized with the typography style that you want to make, therefore you have to make sketches in a grid to control:
- The same size and height X, the eye of the typography and of the upper and lower horns of characters that need it, for example lowercase letters such as p, b, g, etc.
- Elements that characterize them and unify aesthetic criteria, for example if you play with even thin and thick in the same letter, or everything must be of the same thickness. If they have auctions when the antlers finish or not. If they are fantasies, there are lines or cut pieces, keep it in all the letters (even if it changes). If there are elements around the letters such as spots, dots or lines, also repeat it in each case but as versions.
- Changes of turns with the same criteria, for example if it is decided to make a typeface with a rectangular trend and there are never circles or, on the other hand, if there are rounded elements that are equilateral geometric or otherwise oval.
- Variants, you have to plan the versions of the font created to create a future font family. For example, an initial type “Regular” or “Medium” is usually created, versions of the font such as “Bold”, “Thin”, etc. can be given.
- Font creation programs are vector, the most used is Illustrator, although there are others on the market such as Adobe Indesign, etc. Therefore we will have to have some basic knowledge of this program and the Pluta tool with its functionalities.
Image of Fontself
Steps to create a font in Illustrator
- Create a new file with a grid or grid to create the base of the composition of the letters of the new typography, the divisions of the grid will depend on each creative, but a minimum of 16 partitions and a maximum of 24 are recommended, but it all depends on each project.
By default in the program there is a grid in View->Show grid, to modify it you can go to Adobe Illustrator Menu/Preferences/Guides and grids. Although we can also create the grid by creating a square and quickly duplicating it with a previous selection and holding down the ALT key to move it laterally, with the ALT key you can simultaneously hold down the SHIFT key t¡and it doubles as well as keeping it aligned to the original. Then you group all the layers of the squares and by clicking 2 on the layer turn it into a template. On a new top layer you can start working.
- Create with the guides the height X. The guides are found in View/Guides the X height of the lowercase letter, for example the lowercase “o”, it could also be the letter “a”. To place the guides, the Ruler must be visible, in View/Ruler/Show Ruler and drag the guides from the top and left side to the work table, in our case on the grid.
- Yes you did a freehand calligraphy scan and trace the images in Illustrator to make it vector. An easy way to do it if you don’t have a scanner is to take a good definition photograph on your mobile, with background contrast (black font and white background), send the image to your computer and then go to File/Place and place the image on the work table. To trace it vectorially, go to Object/Image Trace, choose between the options, although the usual is Black and White Mode, in the default setting put Logo in black and white, Technical drawing or Line graph. Then, to make it vector, click on the Expand option.
From this first letter, scan the most significant ones and elements can be duplicated to create the new letters.
- Create each letter on a different artboard and if you want the variants on the same artboard, one on top of the other, to control their versions in the same grid.
Image of Fontself
- Use an Illustrator plugin to set typography, which will appear in the Window/Extensions menu. There are different ones on the market, Fontself Maker is recommended for this program. Also in the market there are other options like Font Constructor for Mac, Fontstruct, but you have to manage to save each letter as .tfl first, FontForge, Fontographer and FontCreator.
The programs of FontLab Studio, FontCreator or Studio AsiaFont allow you to create .tfl files if imported from Adobe Illustrator.
Now that you know the process of creating a font, you can start sketching and vectorizing the fonts that you like the most. Be patient and take time because creating a single typeface is a complex architectural work, so don’t rush and enjoy it as a craft. Did you know about the Illustrator extension that allows you to quickly create typography? What kind of fonts do you prefer sans serif or calligraphic? Let me know in the comments!