Edicola
Over the course of 6 weeks, I designed a typeface from scratch, developing an entire alphabet inspired by one sign.
The typeface was modeled after a photographed sign for a combination tabaccheria and edicola, ubiquitous Italian shops that sell tobacco, postage stamps, newspapers, sweets, and more.
Starting from the lettering on the sign, I designed new letters that matched this style and refined the original letters with improved proportion and shape.
Working in a group, we split up the range of letters and numbers, allowing efficient individual work before coming together as a group to provide feedback and keep our work unified.
Before making a single letter digitally, we hand drew each glyph, developing an intimate familiarity as we perfected each curve. This hands-on approach kept the focus on the design of the typeface, rather than letting our process be influenced by our software.
Before making final adjustments, I worked to digitize all of our work in Glyphs, the leading software for type design. As the team continued to tweak our work, I took the lead on spacing the font, carefully adjusting side bearings and individual kerning pairs.
To further explore the world of type design, we followed the typeface’s development with the creation of a specimen poster. Drawing on the enticing yet unpolished feeling of Italian tabaccherias, I developed and refined this final design.
In a later motion design class, I created the video for Edicola shown at the top of this page.
The opportunity to practice creating a typeface from scratch was amazing. I was happy to let it fill up my free time for the relatively short period of time we spent working on it, embracing the chance to dive into this facet of design.
As someone whose journey with design has been tightly intertwined with the digital world, doing the majority of this work with pen and paper was a refreshing experience. I felt a connection and engagement with the design only possible when working with something tangible. Conversely, though, the ease with which our hand-drawn letters became a functional digital font was delightful and served to demonstrate the role technology can play in design.
With my sights set on the UI/UX realm, this informed me in two ways. First, it reminded me of the value of designing with pen and paper, exploring ideas efficiently and simply rather than immediately working within the confines of a digital tool. Additionally, as someone entering the tech field, this served as a reminder that the goal should not be to digitize everything — so many apps and tools are seeking to “augment” every facet of our lives, but there is immense value in the tangible world. As designers, we have a responsibility to preserve this, ensuring that technology supplements our experiences rather than trying to replace them.
The project also offered further experience designing as part of a team. During the letters’ creation, it felt quite helpful to have a team, as the set of glyphs to be made could be easily divided, giving each team member a portion of the work. What would otherwise have been a draining, difficult task to accomplish in that time period became exciting and manageable. Developing the specimen, however, felt completely different. With an endless range of possibilities and each person presenting different concepts, we struggled to resolve our ideas into a single design. While we did end up with a specimen that the team enjoyed, the process felt quite inefficient and limiting. We were all new to this process and didn’t yet have the practice to function as a well-oiled design team, but that’s okay! Facing this gap in my skills is quite important and motivating, and I’m eager to further explore the potential of collaborative design.
