Latin One / Mechanics

Status: Closed
Class is full
6 weeks
Live and online
Oct 23–Nov 27, 2024
Wed and Thurs @ 10:30a

Add a professional level of finish to your next typeface.

You have a great idea for a typeface and you’ve started fleshing out a character set. But a certain something is missing. It doesn’t look like the polished fonts from your favorite designers. What is it? That’s what Latin One is all about — execution, craft, mechanics.

The course begins with working in a font editor, creating a clean font file, tackling Bezier curves, and making optical corrections to your letters. From there, we’ll discuss how a professional approaches the overall type design process, as well as spacing and proofing type. We’ll cover even more topics, many you’ll find by reading through the schedule.

At the same time, you’ll put this new knowledge into practice by applying it to a typeface of your own. Feedback sessions and font file reviews take this course from purely theoretical to fully practical. You’ll receive concrete advice on how to improve your typeface — whether it’s a missing point, problematic proportions, or a letter that’s heavier than the rest.

The goal of this course is to take your raw material, refine it, and give it a solid foundation. You’ll gain an appreciation for the practice of type design and improve your eye in the process. The world of letters will never look the same.


What you’ll learn

Techniques to improve your Bézier curves and add snap to your letters

How to make informed decisions about vertical metrics

The importance of spacing on the overall quality of your font and how to improve yours

How to move more consciously through the type design process

The design difference between fonts meant for text vs. display

How to make optical corrections and small adjustments that improve the overall color of your font

To notice the details without losing sight of the larger system of your typeface

How to use proofing as a tool to make your typeface better

Ways to boost creativity and find inspiration for future projects

Latin One is perfect to establish the foundations of type design in a really practical way. Sometimes we tend to spend a lot of time in books or in theory and don’t know how to start or to improve our work. With Latin One, you do the work and learn along the way. Totally worth it. Highly recommend.

Francis Chouquet, Lettering Artist

Schedule
Week 1 Oct 23 / Course introduction; guest lecture with Maria Montes
Oct 24 / Lecture: setting up your font file, the font info panel, vertical metrics, and more
Week 2 Oct 30 / Font file review; lecture: drawing letters and working with beziers
Oct 31 / Lecture: typical optical adjustments in type design
Week 3 Nov 6 / Font file review; lecture: type design workflow and proofing
Nov 7 / Lecture: all about spacing
Week 4 Nov 13 / Font file review; lecture: components, using layers, and basic OT features
Nov 14 / Special session: students ask questions about using Glyphs
Week 5 Nov 20 / Feedback session
Nov 21 / Lecture: the design differences between text and display type
Week 6 Nov 25—27 / Individual feedback session
No formal class this week

The schedule is subject to modifications.

Wednesday classes are 2.5 hours. Thursday classes are 1.5 hours.
Classes begin at 10:30am Chicago / 12:30pm Buenos Aires / 5:30pm Berlin / Convert

Are classes recorded? →



Caroline Wilkie, Kombucha



Instructors
Nicole Dotin
Lead instructor
Process Type Foundry
Sol Matas
Lead instructor
Hungry Type
Maria Montes
Visiting Lecturer
Designer, letterer, illustrator

Take both: One then Two

Latin One was designed to be taken as a stand-alone course or in conjunction with Latin Two. Students who enroll in Latin One will be able to enroll in Latin Two before the general public, skipping the application process entirely and simply signing up.

What’s included
  • 21.5 course hours
  • Live classes held over Zoom on Wednesday and Thursdays
  • Lectures, feedback sessions, and font file reviews
  • Ability to watch lectures again (lectures are live, but recorded)
  • One guest lecturer
  • Access to our private Discord community
  • Free trial Glyphs license
  • Certificate of completion (80% attendance required)
Tuition
Tier 1
Tier 2
Tier 3
$475
$575
$675

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? →

The course is full and enrollment is closed.

Want to know when the next course is coming?
✉️ Join our email list for updates.

FAQ
Important dates

Monday, September 9, 2024 — Enrollment opens
Sunday, September 29, 2024 — Scholarship applications due
Wednesday, October 2, 2024 — Scholarship recipient notified by email
Wednesday, October 23, 2024 — Latin One begins, first day of class

Who is this course for?

Latin One is geared toward someone who is self-taught, has experimented with making fonts on their own, or someone who has taken introductory type courses (for example, a 10-week course or an intro to type design course at university).

The level of this course is “advanced beginner”, or “working toward intermediate”. Students should already be familiar with the basics of using a font editor and have the start of a typeface to work on during the course. Our aim is to cover the fundamentals of type design execution in more depth than would be possible in introductory classes. However, you do not need to have any formal training to make the most of the course, just the practical experience of drawing letters in a font editor.

Will I need any special materials for classes?

For the first day of class, we recommend that you purchase some special materials (list below) for Maria Montes’ guest lecture. They are optional, however. You’ll receive more details on enrollment.

  • Pentel Fude Touch Sign Pen or Pentel Sign Brush (dark color)
  • Fineliner
  • 3mm Pilot Parallel Pen or 3mm broad nib with pen holder and ink
  • Marker paper or another paper that won't bleed (ex: Canson XL Marker 70gsm)
Do I need to have a typeface designed to participate in Latin One?

Ideally yes. The course is designed for you to work on a typeface you started outside of class and improve it as we go along. If you want to participate fully, and receive feedback on your work, then you need some letters to work on. However, if you prefer to learn through observation, then you are welcome to join without one.

How far along does the typeface I start the course with have to be?

It does not need to be finished, or even near finished. If you have something like 10 characters, that’s a great place to start.

What style of typeface can I start the course with?

Text, display, connected script, experimental, sans serif, serif — bring whatever you’re excited to work on.

If you have a typeface that is uppercase only, know that we deal a lot with lowercase letters in the course (which would be the case in most any type design class). As long as you know that at the start, feel free to bring all the capitals.

How much time am I expected to work outside of class?

We recommend committing a minimum of a couple of hours per week to work outside of class, if you choose to work on a typeface during the course.

Can I take Latin Two if enjoy Latin One?

The two courses were designed to be taken separately or one after the other. Students who enroll in Latin One will have the opportunity to sign up for any edition of Latin Two before the general public, giving them priority enrollment. Another benefit of taking Latin One is that students do not need to apply for Latin Two, they can simply sign up.

Based on our past experiences with students, we expect that most people interested in taking Latin Two will also benefit from taking Latin One. If taken together, Latin One will get students ready for all Latin Two has to offer. Taken on its own, Latin One gives you the opportunity to dive deep into the execution side of type design, ask questions, and receive personalized feedback.

Do I need to use a specific font editor?

All demonstrations using a font editor will be conducted in Glyphs. Many of the concepts are universal (like drawing or spacing) and will easily translate from one font editor to the next. There is a lot to learn that is independent of a font editor. Although any font editor is welcome, just know that some content is Glyphs-specific and our primary fluency is with Glyphs. If you are interested in trying Glyphs, you can opt to use the trial license that comes free with the course.

Are there scholarships or other tuition help available?

All Practica courses are offered on a sliding scale, which can reduce the amount of tuition a student pays.

In addition, we’re offering one full tuition waiver for Latin one and Two, however the deadline to apply has passed. The recipient will be notified on October 2, 2024.

Visit our FAQ page for more questions and answers →

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