Gradius & Type Design

As always, I am constantly reviewing my portfolio
finding cool stuff to re-organize and show. I enjoy

looking back at my work and selecting designs and
correlating them with new stuff that I do along the
same routes.

I have recently been doing a lot of typeface designs,
logo-mark designs, and typeface illustrations for
freelance clients. While reviewing my academic work
some of my designs have a theme rooted in classic

typeface design using calligraphic techniques. 

I am very interested in the effect that hand painted signs

and custom lettering has when representing an
organization. The craft it takes to create letters and
characters is an amazing pursuit. I started admiring
custom lettering as far back as I can remember. I would
get lost in hand painted signs and redraw them in my
mind. Different lettering and signage have stayed with me.

Lettering and signage is a part of our daily lives. We see it

everywhere, it represents businesses, indicates everything

we do, guides us to locations and warns us from dangers.

Taken that into account and understanding what artists on

the radical spectrum have done with custom lettering, such

as graffiti artists, modern calligraphers, and painters. Lettering

has become a hybrid modern art form both breaking and

reinforcing typographic laws.

I am greatly inspired by these radical artists as well as by
formal craftsmen of the typographic discipline.

Here is an example of my take on typeface design

Here are some pages from my type specimen book

highlighting the development of this typeface.




showing the technique for creating the Gradius typeface.


Versions of a promotional poster for Gradius.


I like the final version of the promotional poster
it includes a lot of the hand-drawn elements that

are essential to its character.

I'll be printing out a copy of this poster and posting it up.

A few examples of how Gradius would be used in combo with
images, illustrations, & other dynamic typefaces.



And another glyph layout version


Here are some more sketches on how I

was experimenting with type design.

some early design sketches.

making the gradius letters



refining the typeface with tracing paper and ruled lines.

and some comps for the type spec book layout and design.