InkTrap is an online instance of the Type Design course taught at the Master in Graphic Design and Editorial Projects at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto (FBAUP).
This website is an ongoing effort aimed at providing public news and resources to support and promote the activities held during classes, complementing the current online e-learning platforms and main bibliographic references.
Latest News
Type Specimen Test Sheet
Check out this very complete (and very useful) type specimen testing template [sheet] from Type Heist: https://typeheist.co/blog/type-testing-template/ This is the template I use to test all Typeheist fonts. As I added more and more characters and multi-linguals, I needed an easy way to test my typefaces without recreating the same thing each time (or worse… Continue reading Type Specimen Test Sheet
Vercetti Regular
A nice new type from Filippos Fragkogiannis that reminds me of Kobalt, the final master’s project from Teresa Zagalo. Not only this is an interesting new font, but also the online specimen is very well put together. Free to download and use (if only there was a variable font version!…) Vercetti is a sans serif… Continue reading Vercetti Regular
Redaction: an original approach to variable font masters
This year’s edition of the Fontstand Conference was an amazing one-day event! The culture, design, and typefaces presented by internationally acclaimed type designers were mind-blowing. One such presentation was Jeremy Mickel’s. He presented us with this fantastic typeface. As a hybrid revival of Times and Century, it is an excellent Case Study to be further… Continue reading Redaction: an original approach to variable font masters
From the Syllabus
Copyright Information
When a digital type design project is ready for publishing and distribution, it is important to check your legal information before exporting the final WOFF, OpenType and Variable Font files. This year, students have been asking how to do this. The final copyrights notice and legal (EULA) license information is the target of much discussion… Continue reading Copyright Information
Course Portfolio
JVC Bodoni
JVC Bodoni is a “Didone” typeface revival, designed by in 2023 by Jorge Moreira, Vanessa Sousa and Sara Tavares. The purpose of this work was to design a font for text inspired by a typography of books prior to 1980, with the intention of updating it to the contemporary [local] culture and, thus, producing a… Continue reading JVC Bodoni
U2
U2 is a neo-grotesque, sans serif font, available in two “flavors” — regular and oblique — designed by Duarte Antão, Joana Tavares, & Maria Figueiredo in 2023. It claims its shape as an Univers Revival. The font’s name/logogram evokes a well-known graphic representation of the original source – the periodic table. It translates all the… Continue reading U2
Primeira (1.ª)
Primeira (1.ª) is a font that is born from the isolation of the characteristics that dictate the identity of a [Transitional] Scotch [Roman]. Designed by Catarina Ferreira & Ricardo Figueiredo in 2023. Starting from the visit made to the library of the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto, which aimed to consult… Continue reading Primeira (1.ª)
Character Design Patterns
Ogee Curves
This is a character design pattern learned last week during John Stevens Capital’s Immersion Class — the Ogee Curve. Stevens used it to describe the small inward cup, or “dip” present in the Monumental Capital (AKA Trajan) top stem serif.