Explore the wonders of Devanagari letterforms. From hand-painted signs to modern printed letters, discover the rich typographic tradition of India as expressed through the Devanagari script.
Students begin by learning about the structure and evolution of the script, and then experiment with making their own Devanagari letterforms through prompts and weekly assignments. Individualized feedback helps students improve the quality of their letters, but also develop their own ability to critically analyze Devanagari forms. The final classes are devoted to understanding what happens when students move from sketches to a font editor — from manipulating Béziers to an overview of the programming involved. By the end of the course, students will have a holistic overview of the Devanagari script and a foundation for creating their own Devanagari typeface.
Kritika Srivastava, Type Design Intern
Week 0 |
April 5 / Course introduction, lecture: an overview of the script and its evolution plus visiting lecture with Aashim Tyagi |
Week 1 |
April 9 / Feedback session: hand-painted letters April 10 / Optional: phonetics of Devanagari script April 12 / Lecture: proportions, terminology, metrics, and the influence of tools |
Week 2 |
April 16 / Feedback session: TypeCooker exercise April 17 / Optional: basics of drawing good curves in Glyphs with Sol Matas April 19 / Lecture: the type design process and state of Devanagari type design |
Week 3 |
April 23 / Feedback session: missing letter exercise April 26 / Demo: moving to a font editor |
Week 4 |
April 30 / Feedback session: marks and conjuncts May 3 / Lecture with visiting instructor Lipi Raval |
Week 5 |
May 7 / Feedback session: the design brief and an initial word May 10 / Lecture: expanding from idea to typeface and next steps |
Tuesday classes are 2.5 hours. Friday classes are 1.5 hours.
Optional classes on Wednesdays, April 10 & 17, are 1.5 hours. All classes begin at 7:30pm Mumbai / 4pm Berlin / 10am New York / Convert Are classes recorded? → The schedule is subject to modifications. |
Student exercises from Devanagari One
Introducing ... Devanagari Two! Where One introduces the script itself through the lens of type design, Devanagari Two takes the next step and students design their own Devanagari typeface. The two courses can be taken together or separately. Join our mailing list for updates about the new course!
Tuition is on a sliding scale and you decide which tier you pay according to your means. No matter what tier you choose, the course is exactly the same. Fees are stated in US dollars.
Why is tuition on a sliding scale? →
Are there scholarships or other tuition help available? →
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Are you curious about the Devanagari script – its anatomy, construction, and design – and want to dip your toe into the type design process? Then this course is for you! No prior experience with Devanagari is required, however a basic grasp of drawing in vector programs, like Illustrator or a font editor, is needed for most of the homework.
Please note that this course is an introduction to the script, which is a necessary precursor to creating a Devanagari typeface. Students will draw letters and work in a font editor, but they will not design a full typeface. Our new course, Devanagari Two, will cover that ground. Stay tuned for more details!
All exercises can be done in a font editor or a vector drawing program. You can choose which tool is most comfortable for you. However, any demonstrations that happen in a font editor are shown in Glyphs.
Students should expect to spend roughly two hours a week on homework or research outside of class. Assignments are given on Fridays, and should be completed by Tuesday before class.
Unlike some of our other classes, you don’t need anything created in advance.
The maximum number of students is 24.
You must attend 80% of the course live (not including optional classes), which translates to eight sessions.
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