The time spent between terms was used to sketch and come up with ideas for an original typeface. I went into sketching knowing I wanted to create something that was inspired by blackletter. I like the angular qualities and edginess of blackletter so my goal was to try to shape those characteristics into something more contemporary and legible without losing sight of them.
I did some research on typeface that strived to achieve a similar idea, and some of them took it much much further towards blackletter. Some of my favorite finds were:
Blaktur by House Industries
Fakir by Underware
Adso by Bruno Bernard
We presented 3 sketches for the first class and got some feedback. Most of us decided which sketch to pursue that day. The entire term was dedicated to the regular weight, making sure we had solid structures before moving onto other weights and styles. The biggest challenge for me was finding the balance between straight and round characters and making them all feel part of the same family. I redrew the ‘O’ so many times which also caused many changes among other round characters. Another huge challenge was the ‘S’, which had similar issues, but also the added challenge of getting the angle of the spine.