How to start a new typeface, with Margot Lévêque, Nolan Paparelli and Playtype’s Jeppe Pendrup

At The Brand Identity, we love to hear the process behind typefaces and delve into the creative minds behind them. Well, who doesn’t? For those considering starting a new typeface, the beginning can be daunting; creating a full alphabet of characters is often long and tedious, after all. To shed some light on the first few hurdles, we asked type designers of varying styles and at different stages of their careers how they navigate the early stages of a new typeface, what mediums they start with, and how they make the crucial decision to continue or leave it behind. For designers, inspiration can often strike in the most unexpected places, and typography is no exception. When beginning a new typeface, do type designers go digging for sources of inspiration, or let the influences occur organically? It’s rarely that clearcut, as Jeppe Pendrup, Senior Type Designer at Playtype, points out; we carry a wealth of inspiration within us, from our collected experiences. “Inspiration is a result of accumulated visuals impressions from all kinds of consumed content,” he explains, “be this the millions of typefaces we’ve looked at in books, the infinite scroll through Instagram, an art show, a vacation in Italy and probably more often than not, an intangible mashup of all the stuff that we have subconsciously registered.” For Margot Lévêque, visual stimuli is key to sparking ideas. “I would say, I never tried to create a typeface until I was inspired by something that I’ve seen,” she tells us, noting examples of, “a cool shape or a cool letter, in an old book or specimen.” For Lévêque, old references also hold the key to finding something exciting.