In my experience, the common practice in undergraduate design curricula rarely explores the fundamentals of type design, instead focusing on generalized typographic principles, resulting in a lack of fulsome understanding behind the many standard rules. In response to this anecdotal state of affairs, in my approach as an educator I expose students to critical theories and practices of type design education, especially drawing from the work of Gerrit Noordzij’s contrast theory in “The Stroke,” Frank Blokland’s modular “letter model” for practical design, and Sofie Beier’s scientific explorations into legibility and reading.
In providing deeper understanding of type design principles and foundational theory and practice in the field of study, design students gain much more clarity and confidence in typographic composition.
Carl Shura (he/him) is a Canadian visual designer with experience focused on identity and brand management, wayfinding and exhibits, and type design. A graduate of the graphic design program at Winnipeg’s Red River College, he has also completed the post-graduate type design program at The Cooper Union and a summer residency at the SVA TypeLab in New York.
Carl is a member of faculty at the SCHOOLOFDESIGN at George Brown College in Toronto where he lectures on design, typography, communication, and print production; he also runs a small digital foundry at deptofletters.ca where some of his type design work is available.
He is a member of TDC (the Type Director’s Club), RGD (the Association of Registered Graphic Designers), RHSC (the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada), and is the Canadian Delegate for ATypI (Association Typographique Internationale).
Carl Shura