Lynda – Creating a Font for Apps and Games with Glyphs-0daytown

Fonts have a subtle—but powerful—effect on how users experience content. This is particularly true when it comes to apps and games, where information is presented quickly and often in tiny spaces. An off-putting or difficult-to-read font can distract a player or worse: prevent them from understanding what you have to say. The right font reinforces the theme you’ve chosen—from the ancient to the futuristic—and helps keep players engaged. If you have an idea for a font for your app or game, this course will help you make it a reality. Join professional illustrator John Roshell as he shows how to design an alphabet of letters from scratch using Glyphs, a popular software for type designers. John familiarizes you with the qualities of a successful onscreen font, and explains how to design with pencil and paper—and then import those hand-drawn letters into Glyphs. He also demonstrates how to set up a Glyphs file and trace imported letters manually or with autotracing software, and then refine the letter shapes to maximize their readability and personality. To wrap up, he shows how to finalize and output your design, including how to efficiently create missing letters and numbers to complete your creation.

Topics include:

* Why create your own font?
* Designing with pencil and paper
* Setting up a new Glyphs file
* Tracing letters with the pen tool
* Auto tracing letters with Capture
* Cleaning up letter shapes
* Refining angled and round letters
* Setting spacing and kerning
* Fine-tuning for screen use