Resources for Font Design
Over the past year, I’ve delved into creating my own fonts after discovering a video on Skillshare. It was one of the most fulfilling things to create my own font from scratch and to see it used to type actual words. Ever since I’ve been trying to learn as much about this topic as possible (proper information is surprisingly hard to come by!) and I’d love to share all my favourite resources that I’ve discovered so far. This blog post focuses on resources that are mostly macOS specific, but there are programs out there for Windows etc. too.
THE APPLICATIONS THAT I USE:
Glyphs Mini (They have a 30-day free trial)
iFontmaker (on iPad, found in the App Store)
Procreate (on iPad) and Calligraphr
The following links are all to videos that I have personally watched and can vouch for. Both Skillshare and Linda/LinkedIn Learning have incredible teachers and videos, with the videos by Charles Nix being the best at explaining how the Glyphs app works. These videos have really helped me get a huge headstart in this venture, the rest you learn by messing around and making mistakes. Creating and selling your own fonts is a great way to make a passive income while still doing something creative and satisfying.
SKILLSHARE:
(Follow this link for two weeks of FREE Premium!)
Jamie Bartlett
Build A Better Font: An in-depth guide to creating better fonts
Monoline
Mary Kate Devitt
Hand Lettering Essentials
Peggie Dean
Create your own font on the iPad (iFontMaker)
Celeste Duffy
Make Hand Lettered Fonts Using Procreate (and Caligraphr)
Spencer Charles
Hand Lettering Styles and Techniques for Embellishment
LINDA/LINKEDIN LEARNING:
(They have a 30-day free trial available.)
Charles Nix
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/glyphs-app-essential-training/
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/design-a-condensed-sans-serif-typeface/
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/learning-type-design/
John Roshell
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/creating-a-font-for-apps-and-games-with-glyphs/
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/lettering-comic-books-with-illustrator/
Helpful/inspirational but not necessary:
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/helvetica
OTHER TEACHERS/COURSES:
Teela Cunningham
https://courses.every-tuesday.com/p/learn-font-making
Le Punkt Noir
How to Create a Script Font (Blogpost)
https://lepunktnoir.studio/how-to-create-a-script-font/
OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES:
Diacritics help:
Creating Smooth Connections in Script:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRus6slE5r4
Testing your Font/Kerning:
http://www.as8.it/type/basic_kerning_text.html
Handlettering: How to Vector your Letterforms
https://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/hand-lettering-how-to-vector-your-letterforms–cms-23248
Drawing Good Paths:
https://glyphsapp.com/tutorials/drawing-good-paths
I’ve loved every bit of learning this new skill and already have a few fonts to show for it. If you’re interested in buying any of my fonts, you can find them on my shop page!