MA Communication Design: Typeface Design Pathway

Normally a good undergraduate honours degree (2.1 or above), or equivalent from a university outside the UK, in a design-related subject. For exceptional candidates without such a degree, you will need convincing evidence of relevant professional experience. In most cases, a relevant practice portfolio and an example of academic writing are also required.

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Our graduates have an excellent employment record. Many take up positions in type design studios, with publishers and general design studios, and wayfinding and information design studios. Others develop their own businesses, or take up managerial roles in creative firms. Previous employers have included Apple, Financial Times, Microsoft Typography, Monotype, Nokia, Oxford University Press and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Students on the Typeface Design pathway work on three modules. The first involves a series of seminars that cover key areas in typography and typeface design, and build a foundation in critical reading and research methods. These seminars are shared with other master’s students, and include reading and discussion of key texts, and preparation of a presentation to peers.

The practical module for the Typeface Design pathway focuses on the development of multiscript typefaces for text-intensive applications. Students work on defining, planning, and designing a multiscript typeface family. They explore issues of character complements, the development of family styles across scripts, and the relationship of convention and modernity in typeface design. Students are encouraged to consider both mainstream scripts and scripts that are marginally supported by current standards.

The third module comprises preparation and work for a substantial dissertation, on an area that may be connected to the work in the other modules of the programme.