Typography Designer Course

Lesson 1 • How Type Communicates

Examines the psychological and cultural signals typefaces carry. Students connect visual form to audience perception and brand meaning.

Lesson 2 • Typeface Classification Systems

Covers major classification models from Old Style to geometric sans. Understanding categories guides appropriate pairing and historical referencing.

Lesson 3 • Anatomy of a Typeface

Introduces structural parts of letterforms and their names. Mastery of anatomy enables precise critique and informed typeface selection throughout the course.

Lesson 1 • Type Size and Modular Scales

Introduces modular scale theory for selecting harmonious type sizes. Students apply scales to create visual hierarchy without arbitrary size choices.

Lesson 2 • Leading and Vertical Rhythm

Covers line-height settings and their effect on readability and rhythm. Students establish consistent vertical grids that unify multi-column layouts.

Lesson 3 • Kerning, Tracking, and Letter-Spacing

Distinguishes optical kerning, manual kerning, and tracking adjustments. Proper spacing eliminates awkward gaps and creates even typographic colour.

Lesson 4 • Units of Typographic Measurement

Explains points, picas, ems, rems, and pixels in print and digital contexts. Accurate unit knowledge prevents scaling errors in professional deliverables.

Lesson 1 • Evaluating and Testing Type Choices

Provides methods for stress-testing type selections before final use. Students apply real content, edge cases, and rendering tests to validate decisions.

Lesson 2 • Principles of Typeface Pairing

Teaches contrast, harmony, and role assignment in multi-typeface systems. Students avoid common pairing mistakes and build confident combination strategies.

Lesson 3 • Building a Type System

Extends pairing into a full typographic system with defined roles. Students document type systems that can be handed off to development or production teams.

Lesson 1 • Heading, Subheading, and Body Relationships

Establishes clear visual differentiation between heading levels and body text. Students set multi-level documents where each level reads distinctly without confusion.

Lesson 2 • Grid Systems for Typography

Introduces column, modular, and manuscript grids as structural frameworks. Students align type to grids to achieve order, consistency, and professional finish.

Lesson 3 • Principles of Visual Hierarchy

Defines hierarchy as the organised communication of importance through visual contrast. Students map content priority before making any typographic decisions.

Lesson 4 • Typographic Colour and Texture

Explains typographic colour as the overall grey value of a text block. Students balance type weight, size, and spacing to achieve even, readable texture.

Lesson 1 • Print Production Fundamentals

Covers resolution, colour modes, bleed, and safe zones for print output. Students set up documents correctly before placing a single character of type.

Lesson 2 • Editorial and Magazine Layouts

Focuses on multi-column editorial grids, pull quotes, and image-text integration. Students design spreads that balance visual energy with typographic clarity.

Lesson 3 • Book and Long-Form Typography

Addresses running text, chapter openers, folios, and running heads. Students design book interiors that sustain readability across hundreds of pages.

Lesson 1 • Screen Rendering and Font Technology

Explains how operating systems render fonts and how hinting affects quality. Students choose fonts that render well at target sizes and on target devices.

Lesson 2 • Responsive Typography

Teaches fluid type scaling, viewport units, and breakpoint-based adjustments. Students build type systems that remain readable from mobile to large desktop.

Lesson 3 • Motion and Kinetic Typography

Introduces timing, easing, and animation principles applied to type. Students design animated type sequences that enhance rather than distract from content.

Lesson 4 • UI and App Typography

Applies type hierarchy to interface components like buttons, labels, and navigation. Students create UI type scales that communicate function and support usability.

Lesson 1 • Poster and Campaign Typography

Applies expressive techniques to real-world poster and campaign briefs. Students balance creative ambition with communicative clarity in high-impact formats.

Lesson 2 • Display Type Principles

Defines the rules and freedoms of display-scale typographic design. Students understand when to break conventions and how to do so with intention.

Lesson 3 • Type as Image and Illustration

Explores letterforms as visual objects independent of linguistic meaning. Students compose type-based images that function as both text and graphic.

Lesson 1 • Typography in Brand Identity

Positions type as a primary carrier of brand personality and recognition. Students analyse brand briefs and translate values into typographic decisions.

Lesson 2 • Typography Across Brand Touchpoints

Applies the brand type system to print, digital, environmental, and social formats. Students ensure consistency while adapting type to each medium's constraints.

Lesson 3 • Auditing and Evolving Type Systems

Teaches methods for evaluating existing type systems and planning updates. Students conduct type audits and propose evidence-based refinements.

Lesson 4 • Designing a Brand Type System

Covers primary, secondary, and fallback font selection for brand systems. Students build complete, documented type systems ready for cross-team implementation.