Create Your Own Font

What is a Font?

A font is a series of letters, numbers, punctuation marks, symbols, etcetera, in one size (like 12 point) of a particular typeface. Commonly, someone will say, “I like that font!” when they see interesting text; however, what they really mean is the typeface (just as everyone’s face has distinctive traits). I am not here to bore you with specific terminology. Every iota of written and printed type can be broken down into specifics. Typography is often unappreciated and that is its intention. It is not meant to overpower the image, which is usually the eye-grabbing aesthetics in an advertisement. Its power is to accompany the image like a fine trim while delivering the informative content that strives to sell the viewer of a particular product or service. A designer’s choice of font is very important: Would a Gothic black lettering properly promote a children’s day care center? On the other hand, would that same font be appropriate to promote an insurance company for Harley Davidson riders?

Designing a Font

Designing a font can be both fun and demanding. You want the letters you create to have uniformity to them. You do not want the capital letters clashing with the lowercase letters, nor do you want the sizes to seem off. First, decide what type of a font you would want to create. Do you want a manuscript-styled font? If so, you could scan pages of your handwriting, cherry pick out the best examples, scan them, vector trace them (using a vector illustration program such as Adobe Illustrator), and then import them into a font creation program (like High-Logic’s FontCreator–http://www.high-logic.com/fontcreator.html). On the other hand, you might want to create a “wingding” type font that consists of purely images. The sky is the limit. I created one for this article called “Old Volks Home.” Being a vintage VW enthusiast, I thought it would be fun to create an air-cooled, vehicle themed font. Here are some examples of some elements from the font:

Knowing What Software to Use and the Constraints Involved

First and foremost, if you are going to create a font, then think monochrome. Are you colorblind? You are actually at an advantage! There are a scant few multicolor fonts; however the overwhelming majorities are black and white. If you wish to use your font in a Microsoft Word document or Adobe product, then I would suggest that you make your font an IBM PC TrueType font (.ttf). PC TrueType fonts can be used on a Mac (and a PC); however, Mac TrueType fonts are not as cross platform compatible. The future seems to be going towards OpenType fonts (a scalable format built upon TrueType). You should have clean paper, pencils/pens, a scanner, and a program to resize and manipulate your letters. A good beginning program is High-Logic’s Scanahand. You print out a sheet with a series of boxes, draw your graphemes within those boxes, scan it back into your computer when finished, and the software composes the letters for you!
At $59 for the standard edition, it is a great way to break into the realm of becoming a typographer. The premium version is only $40 more. However, their other program, FontCreator, is probably a better deal if you were going to go that route ($79 for the home version). You could also vector trace and adjust every letter in Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw and then transfer them into a program like FontCreator by simply selecting the vectored element, copying it, and then pasting it into the program via good old copy and paste shortcuts (CTRL+C & CTRL+V for a PC, CMD+C & CMD+V for a Mac). The letter, symbol/mark, or number can then be altered within the font creating program. Also, that would be the time to adjust the kerning (space between two elements), tracking (horizontal spacing between overall letters), and leading (the vertical spacing between elements).

What about Other Software?

You are in luck! There is lots of software available. Are you a Mac user? Download Font Constructor! It is free, easy to use, and was created for beginners. Check it out in action here: www.fontconstructor.com/screenmovie. This is a must download for Mac users. For open source aficionados, there is FontForge (available for Windows, Mac, and Linux). It is very advanced for freeware, but due to the heavy involvement, the learning curve is a bit more than Scanahand or Font Constructor. It does have a lovely price (free) and is a wonderful font converter! Check it out here: www.fontforge.sourceforge.net.
Lastly, if you do not wish to download and install software, but still wish to break the typographic ice, then go to Fontstruct www.fontstruct.com) and build a font online! You create a font using simple shapes (like LEGO® blocks). You can save your creation after creating a free account (just a username and password). You don’t even need a storage device! Also, Fontstruct runs in your browser meaning that it is both Mac & PC friendly.

Check out James Greenwood’s fonts online:
www.dafont.com/james-greenwood.d1690