
Creating Basic Fonts with FontForge
In this course, James Street shows you how to create basic fonts using the world\'s most powerful free and open source Unix-based font editor: FontForge. This course is designed from the ground up to be an entry point into Font Design, providing background design information for anyone wishing to take up the practice. James provides instruction on font anatomy, characteristics, and general design tips as well as a beginner friendly introduction to FontForge. The interface, workflow, and tools of FontForge are covered to help make sense of the mysterious art of font creation. The course leverages FontForge and related tools in conjunction with three different methods that can be used to create consistent and reliable fonts. The course also covers potential options for installing this powerful Unix-based tool on Mac and Windows systems. To begin learning today, simply click on the movie links!
Course content
About the Course3 lessons
About FontForge3 lessons
Font Basics6 lessons
Workflows5 lessons
Installing Your Toolset6 lessons
Interface Fundamentals16 lessons
- Introduction0:571 credit or ad
- Opening Existing Fonts7:311 credit or ad
- Font View7:231 credit or ad
- Outline Window6:241 credit or ad
- Metrics Window6:011 credit or ad
- Components of the Glyph pt. 16:081 credit or ad
- Components of the Glyph pt. 26:481 credit or ad
- Components of the Glyph pt. 36:301 credit or ad
- Extrema5:351 credit or ad
- Tools pt. 15:091 credit or ad
- Tools pt. 26:271 credit or ad
- Tools pt. 37:011 credit or ad
- Tools pt. 45:461 credit or ad
- Tools pt. 56:281 credit or ad
- Saving2:541 credit or ad
- Consistency3:031 credit or ad
How to Create a Font: Parts17 lessons
- Getting Started4:101 credit or ad
- Guides6:201 credit or ad
- Vertical Stem6:171 credit or ad
- The Shoulder pt. 16:371 credit or ad
- The Shoulder pt. 26:511 credit or ad
- Saving Components6:121 credit or ad
- Similar Glyphs5:421 credit or ad
- Bowl Glyphs pt. 16:301 credit or ad
- Bowl Glyphs pt. 22:331 credit or ad
- Mixed Bowl & Stem6:461 credit or ad
- Dots7:361 credit or ad
- Crossbars6:221 credit or ad
- Diagonals pt. 17:061 credit or ad
- Diagonals pt. 26:181 credit or ad
- Diagonals pt. 35:351 credit or ad
- The Final Letter: S7:531 credit or ad
- Conclusion3:011 credit or ad
How to Create a Font: Outlined Paths9 lessons
- Introduction2:221 credit or ad
- Laying Down the Paths pt. 16:011 credit or ad
- Laying Down the Paths pt. 27:001 credit or ad
- Laying Down the Paths pt. 35:521 credit or ad
- Expanded Stroke Options pt. 16:421 credit or ad
- Expanded Stroke Options pt. 26:591 credit or ad
- Expanded Stroke Tweaking3:451 credit or ad
- Modification7:021 credit or ad
- Conclusion1:521 credit or ad
How to Create a Font: Hybrid7 lessons
Refining & Generating Fonts9 lessons
- Introduction1:341 credit or ad
- Validating Fonts pt. 16:501 credit or ad
- Validating Fonts pt. 25:311 credit or ad
- Advance Width pt. 16:241 credit or ad
- Advance Width pt. 23:551 credit or ad
- Lookups & Kerning7:101 credit or ad
- Creating Lookups & Kerning Pairs6:561 credit or ad
- Creating & Modifying Bitmap Strikes5:501 credit or ad
- Generating Fonts7:331 credit or ad