New: Origin of Type Frameworks (OTF) Course

This course offers an online practical and theoretical study of type design and font technology, taught by Dr. Frank E. Blokland and Dr. Jürgen Willrodt. Together they have over 80 years of experience in the type industry.

During the online OTF Course, delivered via Zoom, letter aficionados will delve deeper into what type design and font production actually entails, by evaluating and questioning how to approach the subject theoretically and practically, also from less common points of view. This is done by exploring and analyzing the historical, aesthetic, and technical aspects of type design and typography. The aim is a deep understanding of what exactly this comprises and a quantifiable translation of this knowledge into practical applications.

An important role is reserved for Frank’s dissertation. In On the Origin of Patterning in Movable Latin Type: Renaissance Standardisation, Systematisation, and Unitisation of Textura and Roman Type he argues that Renaissance typographic patterns were partly determined by requirements for the early font production. Hence, today’s typographic conventions are not only the result of optical preferences predating movable type, but at least as much the result of standardization that eased the Renaissance font production.

In short, the OTF Course covers all the usual ingredients of type-design education, such as drawing, spacing, kerning, font formats, (automation of) font production, etc. However, on top of that, there is also a unique and advanced approach, based on almost 40 years of experience in vocational type-design education combined with academic research.

Dr. Frank E. Blokland and Dr. Jürgen Willrodt

About the teachers: Jürgen (Hamburg, 1952) studied physics and mathematics and obtained a PhD in theoretical particle physics in 1976. As a software engineer, he became the lead developer of the IKARUS system since the early 1980s and developed interpolation, autotracing, and hinting algorithms, as well as special algorithms for Kanji separation. Frank (Leiden, 1959) is a type designer and has been (senior) lecturer in type design at the Royal Academy of Art (KABK) since 1987. From 1995 to 2025 he was senior lecturer and Research Fellow at the Plantin Institute of Typography in Antwerp. Frank founded the Dutch Type Library in 1990 and in October 2016 he successfully defended his PhD dissertation on Renaissance font-production standardization at Leiden University.

More information about the OTF Course can be found here.

Comments

  • Font technology plays a central role in the OTF Course. To truly appreciate and understand the technical advancements of today, it sometimes helps to place them within a historical context. Our archive contains several presentations from past decades, including this one delivered by Jürgen at the DTL FontMaster Conference in Hamburg in 2002.

    OpenType in 2002

    In anticipation of the OTF Course, Jürgen and I will launch the first of a series of informal online gatherings next month, called Type [Tech] Chats (TTC). These two-hour sessions, basically held every four weeks at 16:00 CET, will cover a wide range of topics including font technology, type business, type-design education, and anything else that comes up.

    The TTC sessions are open to everyone, and you are welcome to join at any time. No registration is required, but be sure to bring your own coffee! I will keep you informed.
  • Dave Crossland
    Dave Crossland Posts: 1,444
    I'm looking forward for more info on how to sign up for TTC sessions :) 
  • Hi Dave, you’ll be the first to know the date and time!

    Regarding the topics we might discuss, such as font technology and business, I want to emphasize that the TTC will just be an exchange of thoughts. For example, in the case of the font business, I can’t offer much more advice than to stubbornly stick to your own path. I reckon DTL is too atypical to serve as a solid example for most.

    Times on the menu

    That said, it would be interesting to exchange ideas on business models, and I’d be happy to share the thoughts I had over 35 years ago when I set up my company. It will also be interesting to discuss the future of our profession, especially as AI rapidly transforms the landscape. Of course, no one can predict the future: we can only try to extrapolate the present and make educated guesses.

    As for font technology, Jürgen and I can help with any questions about OTM. We can also talk about the still-to-be-released GPOSMaster and FoundryMaster if anyone is interested. Other participants can share and demonstrate their own workflows and (the combination of) favorite font tools.

    In short, the TTC is intended to be a relaxed ‘type café’ –so feel free to enjoy a coffee (or any beverage of your choice) while we chat.