Type West Online

Type West Online is a postgraduate certificate program that gets you serious about type. It pairs weekly instructor-led classes and weekend workshops with deep research time in the Letterform Archive. You study history, sketch practice, and font production while you build a full typeface, guided by working type designers and archivists who point you to real specimens and references.

The curriculum is practical and focused on type design, typography, and typeface design. Classes run in three terms and include hands-on workshops, lectures from visiting experts, and practical deadlines that force you to finish work. The online cohort mirrors the in-person program, and students worldwide get the same access to lectures, the archive’s resources, and instructor feedback. Alumni work and published typefaces from the program are visible on the site, which is a good sign of output and follow-through.

This is not a casual weekend hobby course. Expect a year of discipline, critique, and production. You will gain technical skills in font editors and the craft language to argue about counters, spacing, and optical balance. Students praise the hands-on workshops and the archive access as the parts that change how they see shape and form. If you want a structured, mentor-led path into serious type design, Type West Online gives you teaching, resources, and a cohort to finish a typeface by program end.