The TDi is the pre-eminent intensive course for research and practice in multiscript typeface design. It is aimed at experienced designers, researchers and educators, those who work with archives, and professionals managing large typeface projects. The two one-week courses can be taken together or separately.
One domain, two approaches
What will you learn?
Week 1: Working seminar on research with primary sources
We cover methodologies for working with and interpreting primary sources – including ephemera, unconventional material and digital evidence. Material spans printed sources from incunables onwards, artefacts of typemaking across technologies, individual scripts beyond Latin, and multiscript environments. The sessions build practical and thinking skills, supporting narratives that integrate materiality and reframe existing concepts.
Week 2: Masterclass sessions on typeface design
Expert sessions with a focus on large Latin-only and multiscript projects. Sessions span preparation and specification for substantial projects, establishing models and criteria for evaluation, scaffolding workflows, and structured feedback. We include dedicated sessions on approaching type revivals, innovation and fitness for purpose. Aimed at those with competence in typeface design who can use the intensive sessions to refine their existing work, or build foundations for work in other scripts.
Course details
Both weeks are structured around staff-led sessions with archival material and case studies in the morning, and practical feedback / research actions in the afternoon.
Morning sessions make extensive use of our collections and archives, which include manuscripts, rare printed books and ephemera, type drawings and masters, as well as fully operational presses (including lithography and a hot-metal caster). These sessions allow participants unprecedented access to original material with expert guidance that is globally unique.
Afternoon sessions are focused on practice and active engagement with material, to support practice or research work, depending on each participant’s interests. We work in dedicated spaces, with core staff always present, so we can give ample time to small group and individual consultations and discussions.
Both weeks showcase our methodology for working with primary sources, and research-informed practice. In a very hands-on manner, we will review paradigms in typeface design, and shape “ways of thinking” about the discipline and participants’ own work in the field.
Our staff
The staff on the course bring a broad range of perspectives and experiences in typeface design. All are experts in their respective fields, and represent natively multiple script experiences.
Key persons on the course include:
- Gerry Leonidas, Professor of Typography
- Borna Izadpanah, Lecturer in Typography & Graphic Communication
- Geoff Wyeth, Lecturer
- Dr Emma Minns, Archivist
- Fiona Ross, Professor in Type Design
- Dr Cheng Xunchang, Postdoctoral Fellow.
There will be additional contributions from staff and researchers in the Department.
About the Department
The 桃色视频 has been at the forefront of typography's evolution into a fully-fledged discipline – from the theory of graphic language to research in visual literacy, from the history of typesetting technologies to designing typefaces for global scripts.
The Department of Typography & Graphic Communication boasts the first typography course within a research-intensive university. It is also the home of and a wide range of research, knowledge transfer projects, and consultancies with wide-ranging impacts across many scripts.
We are internationally recognised for our exceptional and the quality of our teaching.
Course schedule
- Date: 29 June – 3 July, and 13 –17 July 2026
- Time: 09:30 to 17:30 daily, with a break for lunch (provided).
Register for the TDi course
You can register for either or both weeks on the . If you would like further information, please contact Gerry Leonidas at g.leonidas@reading.ac.uk.