Explore the wonders of Devanagari letterforms. From hand-painted signs to modern printed letters, discover the rich typographic tradition of South Asia 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 weeks are devoted to understanding what is involved in making a Devanagari typeface — from initial idea, to 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.
Week 0 |
Sept 8 / Course introduction, lecture: an overview of the script and its evolution |
Week 1 |
Sept 12 / Feedback session: hand-painted letters Sept 15 / Lecture: proportions, terminology, metrics, and the influence of tools |
Week 2 |
Sept 19 / Feedback session: TypeCooker exercise Sept 22 / Lecture: the type design process and state of Devanagari type design |
Week 3 |
Sept 26 / Feedback session: missing letter exercise Sept 29 / Demo: moving to a font editor |
Week 4 |
Oct 3 / Feedback session: marks and conjuncts Oct 6 / Lecture with visiting instructor |
Week 5 |
Oct 10 / Feedback session: the design brief and an initial word Oct 13 / Lecture: expanding from idea to typeface and next steps |
Tuesday classes are 2.5 hours. Friday classes are 1.5 hours.
Classes begin at 7:30pm Mumbai / 4pm Berlin / 10am New York / Convert Are classes recorded? → The schedule is subject to modifications. |
Lini Thin by Kimya Gandhi
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? →
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.
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.
Unlike some of our other classes, you don’t need anything created in advance.
The maximum number of students is 24.
All Practica courses are offered on a sliding scale, which can reduce the amount of tuition a student pays.
We’re also offering three full tuition waivers for Intro to Devanagari, but the deadline to apply has passed. Recipients will be notified on August 28, 2023 by email and must accept their spot by the end of the day on August 30, 2023.
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