Slides for a 4 hour type workshop that included fundamentals, tips for planning and drawing letters for logos, lettering & fonts.

1. Drawing letters
for logos, lettering
& fonts

2. Workshop goals
Learn/remember some type design
fundamentals.
Improve the analysis of fonts/lettering
and proportions
Best practices and time-saving tips when
drawing digital letters.

3. This is my first attempt at drawing type circa 2002. Do not quit!

4. Content
1 Warm-up exercice
2 Key fundamentals
3 Planning
4 Drawing digital letters
5 Resources

5. 1 Warm-up exercice
2 Key fundamentals
3 Planning
4 Drawing digital letters
5 Resources

6. Monogram (15-20 minutes).
Draw 2-3 name initials in pencil
or any kind of writing tool that
suits your personality.
Try different tools and see how
the outcome differs.
Aquecimento
1

7. 1 Warm-up exercice
2 Key fundamentals
3 Planning
4 Drawing digital letters
5 Resources

8. Fundamentals
2
Shapes that have the same absolute height…

9. Fundamentals
2
…need to be adjusted so they look the
same height. Forget math for a minute,
type design is all about your eyes!

10. HOAHOAHOA
Fundamentals
2
The same effect on letters.

11. Fundamentals
2
Math centering a vs. optic centering b.
Move objects up a little so they look
centered (and not falling).
A B

12. A B
Horizontal stems look bigger than vertical.
Which of these 2 look balanced?

13. A B
B is visually adjusted for this optical
illusion. Shorter horizontal stems, middle
bar moved up a little so it looks balanced.

14. A B
Which of these “io” looks better?

15. Increase curved areas so that they match
straights. B curves are the same width as
the straights, which doesn’t look right.

16. a: geometric vs optical construction.

17. These visual compensations are what
makes letter more legible and pleasing
to the eye. On the right is Futura.

18. Fundamentals
2
Bolder fonts will look smaller if they have
the same x-height. Increase the x-height
of bolder letters to compensate this effect.

19. finesse
finesse
Fundamentals
2
The heavier the letters, the smaller
the counters which calls for…

20. finesse
Fundamentals
2
… an adjustment in spacing so form
and counterforms look balanced.
finesse

21. Fundamentals
2
This looks clumsy.

22. Fundamentals
2
The white spaces are just as important
as the letters themselves.

23. Fundamentals
2
Always smooth out the joins of straight to
curved segments. Avoid the “bone effect”.

24. Fundamentals
2
Do not fear the Bézier curve. Ever!

25. 1 Warm-up exercice
2 Key fundamentals
3 Planning
4 Drawing digital letters
5 Resources

26. Some decisions to make
Final use
Style/Personality
Family planning: weights, styles etc.
Proportions
Legibility
Planning
3

27. Final use
Wayfinding Sans: Ralf Herrmann. Signage.Bell Centennial: Mathew Carter. Type for newsprint.
Verdana: Mathew Carter. Optimized for screen display. Akceler Alt: Andrej Dieneš. For sports magazines.
Planning
3

28. Personality/Family Planning
Primot
Guanabara Sans ‘13
Display Type (Primot/WIP) Lettering
Super family – multiple weights and styles.
Planning
3

29. H VH V
Contrast and style.
Planning
3

30. Ax Ax Ax
Planning
3
Altura de x
Guanabara Sans | Mrs. Eaves | Maple Black

31. AxPeles sernatur ad
endis endae omnisti
onemquatur?
Atiatiis quodit, si sum re
nus evel et quo temporeri
dolessinvel molut
exeraTur aut minus ulpa
alitat.
Voluptae senis ut
laborem perumquibus.
AxPeles sernatur ad endis
endae omnisti onemquatur?
Atiatiis quodit, si sum re
nus evel et quo temporeri
dolessinvel molut exeraTur
aut minus ulpa alitat.
Voluptae senis ut laborem
perumquibus.
AxPeles sernatur ad
endis endae omnisti
onemquatur?
Atiatiis quodit, si
sum re nus evel et quo
temporeri dolessinvel
molut exeraTur aut
minus ulpa alitat.
Voluptae senis ut
laborem perumquibus.
x-Height affects word count. Same for
condesed/expanded fonts.
Guanabara Sans | Mrs. Eaves | Maple Black | 30/36pt
Planning
3

32. Proportions – top is not as well proportioned
as bottom. Study time tested fonts and train
your eyes for good proportions.
Hamburgefons
Hamburgefons
Myriad: Robert Slimbach/Carol Twombly
Planning
3

33. Calligraphic origin
Garamond
Didot
Scala Sans
Helvetica
ea
ea ea
ea
Planning
3

34. Niels Shoe Meulman Tony DiSpigna
Planning
3
Calligraphic origin

35. milliliter milliliter
milliliter milliliter
Guanabara Sans lowercas l is adjusted to be more readable.
Helvetica: l can be confused for an uppercase i.
Planning
2
Legibility Erik Spiekermann

36. Ok, nice.

37. But where to begin?

38. 1 Warm-up exercice
2 Key fundamentals
3 Planning
4 Drawing digital letters
Tips
Method 1: Modular
Method 2: From Scans
Method 3: Strokes
Method 4: Straight up
Masters
5 Resources

39. Sketch and define things early on.
Drawing
4

40. Drawing
4

41. Drawing
4

42. Hamburgefons
Adhesiontext
First words
Will help define the personality
and features of the other glyphs.
Drawing
4

43. Points at extrema
Drawing
4

44. Drawing
4
Points at extrema

45. HO no
Kickstart your font start with one straight
and one rounded letter.
You can define many letters from these basic shapes,
and it will give you a good starting point for spacing.
4
Drawing

46. HOHOHO
hohoho
Spacing
Para decidir o espaçejamento entre as letras, comece pelas
duplas HO maiúscula e minúscula. Assim você já tem muitos
espaçamentos resolvidos (lados circulares e retos).
4
Drawing

47. HDFEL
OQCD
MN WYX ZS
Groups of shapes (construction)
4
Drawing

48. oec pdbq
fjg nmu il
kzs vwyz
4
Drawing
Groups of shapes (construction)

49. ABC0123
For text fonts, numerals are a little shorter
than Capital Height so as not to overpower
them in text.
4
Drawing
Minion Pro

50. 01234567890
01234567890
01234567890
Some types of numerals
4
Drawing

51. Copy paste?
nn»nu
4
Drawing

52. No sir (ma’am)!
nn»nu
Drawing
4

53. Start to love the blend tool (Interpolation)
AAALight BlackBook
Drawing
4

54. Use interpolation to test letter variations.
Drawing
4

55. MODULAR
Drawing
4

56. Drawing
4
Modular
Wim Crouwel

57. SCAN
Drawing
4

58. Drawing
4
Scan

59. Drawing
4
Vectorizing the scan

60. Drawing
4
Refining the scan

61. Drawing
4
Final result
Clube de roupas infantis
babycub

62. STROKES

63. Drawing
4
Width tool (Illustrator – Shift + W)

64. Drawing
4
Width Tool

65. Drawing
4
Width Tool

66. Drawing
4
Width Tool

67. Drawing
4
From strokes, you can also start simple
monoline letters like this S for example. But
remember, it will need lots of tweaking for
you to call it a letter.

68. STRAIGHT UP…
JUST GO FOR IT😈

69. MASTERS
Drawing
4

70. Hoefler & Frere Jones

71. House Industries

72. Adrian Frutiger

73. Doyald Young

74. Herb Lubalin

75. Alex Trochut

76. Louise Fili

77. 1 Warm-up exercice
2 Key fundamentals
3 Planning
4 Drawing digital letters
5 Resources

78. Resources
5
Learn more!
Briem.net: http://briem.net
Hoefler & Frere-Jones: http://www.typography.com/
Letritas: http://letritas.blogspot.com
Type Drawers: http://typedrawers.com
Typophile: http://typophile.com
Typotheque: https://www.typotheque.com/articles
Unos Tipos Duros: http://www.unostiposduros.com/
Type Workshop (Underware): http://www.typeworkshop.com/

79. Books
Logo, Font & Lettering Bible. http://goo.gl/4djGZt
The stroke, Theory of Writing. http://goo.gl/Xr9rR
Counterpunch. http://goo.gl/hcQVDo
Letterletter. http://goo.gl/PcGyjF
Designing Type. http://goo.gl/HZ7TL
Scripts: Elegant Lettering from Design’s Golden Age. http://goo.gl/qCqyb
Elementos do estilo tipográfico. http://goo.gl/sAAxZ
Stop Stealing Sheep. http://goo.gl/8YKUK1
Metro Letters. http://goo.gl/5CWs5e
Resources
5

80. THANK YOU!
email rodrigo@plau.co
link plau.co
behance behance.net/plau
twitter PlauStudio
facebook facebook.com/plaudesign
a big thanks to: Vanessa Padua, Cristiano Junqueira, Betina Cupello and everybody at Saravah, Cida, Eddy e
Martha, Gu, Nina, Família Padua, Mark Mullin, Eduardo Varela, Lucas Azevedo, Daniel Campos, Matheus Fragoso,
all the designers and coders from Niramekko and Plau and everyone who inspired and taught me so much!
fonts: Guanabara Sans, SS Social, Futura, Myriad, Minion Pro, Motiva Sans, Bordonia, Primot.