Case Study:
PDX: My Font!
The Brief:
In the wake of 2020, I would soon be moving to Portland, Oregon.
I wanted to explore the ins and outs of designing my very own typeface, and mix that with my building excitement. I began my research by exploring different styles, programs, and tutorials to learn as much as I could about type design as I dove in.
I wanted to explore the ins and outs of designing my very own typeface, and mix that with my building excitement. I began my research by exploring different styles, programs, and tutorials to learn as much as I could about type design as I dove in.
My overall philosophy was to make as little edits to a square as possible to get each letterform.
What you see below are my initial thumbnail sketches. Just another morning, drinking out of my Laguna Seca mug and ideating.
What you see below are my initial thumbnail sketches. Just another morning, drinking out of my Laguna Seca mug and ideating.
My Role:
I used a plugin for Adobe Illustrator called FontSelf to vectorize each letterform to blocky perfection. After about a week of adjusting the vectors, I had completed my set of capitals.
Then, because it was so fun, I went back to design lowercase, numbers, and symbols.
Apps used: Illustrator, FontSelf plugin
Then, because it was so fun, I went back to design lowercase, numbers, and symbols.
Apps used: Illustrator, FontSelf plugin
The Results:
I now have a free-to-download typeface that I personally designed from concept to final, functional file with caps, lowercase, and an array of numbers and symbols.
I moved back to Seattle in 2024, and will always love PDX. I hope to visit with some regularity for the foreseeable future.
I moved back to Seattle in 2024, and will always love PDX. I hope to visit with some regularity for the foreseeable future.