ESMAD/P.PORTO, Vila do Conde

Workshop #01 — ESMAD/P.PORTO, B308
09h30 > 13h00; 14h30 > 18h00

Type Design for Non-Type Designers

Rainer Scheichelbauer, Tamara Pilz, Sérgio Martins (Glyphs; Schriftlabor)

You will learn:

• The fundamentals of digital type design;
• Working hands-on with the Glyphs app, drawing and refining letters;
• Basic principles of spacing, composition, and font exporting;
• How to prototype a simple, functional font;
• Gaining confidence to continue experimenting with type after the workshop.

Bring your curiosity (and a Mac laptop with Glyphs installed) — take away the skills to create and appreciate type in your own work!

>> Limited to 20 registrations (opens in a new window)

Workshop #02 — ESMAD/P.PORTO, B310
14h00 > 18h00

Career Lab: Design Your Career‬

Joana Correia (Nova Type Foundry)

Young designers today face a challenge: how to build a career in a constantly changing field? This workshop proposes a different approach, treating career development as a design project that can be tested, adjusted, and improved over time. It begins with self-awareness exercises, including a personality test and a SWOT analysis to identify strengths, weaknesses, and growth opportunities. The central moment is the portfolio presentation: instead of simply showcasing projects, participants learn to tell their story—who they are as designers, what sets them apart, and how they like to work. The group provides feedback, offering new perspectives on the work presented. In the end, each participant defines three possible career paths and develops a practical 90-day action plan. The goal is not to find the perfect career immediately but to learn to experiment with directions through small tests. It is aimed at final-year design students and young professionals seeking practical tools to plan their careers. The focus is practical and oriented towards mutual support—we are all learning together. All design fields are welcome, and no prior experience in career planning is necessary.

>> Limited to 15 registrations (opens in a new window)

Workshop #03 — ESMAD/P.PORTO, B308
09h00 > 18h30

Modular Typography with ModuLetter and Glyphs/FontLab‬

João Gomes (FA-ULisboa)

Following the tradition of hybrid modular typography systems such as Albers' Kombinationsschrift “3” or Trochut/Gamonal-Arroyo's Super [Tipo] Veloz, and also in the line of typographic work by Crouwel, Schrofer, etc., this type design workshop combines contemporary analog and digital tools, with a strong emphasis on geometric modularity and the grid. Initially, after a short theoretical presentation, there will be a hands-on individual experimentation focused on letter anatomy, through the use and combination of simple geometric shapes present in the ModuLetter Stencil template system, a tool based on the homologous TIMOS Stencil system by Ângelo Gonçalves, which has a playful aspect but immense potential, accompanied by specific worksheets and detailed instructions prepared for even more advanced projects than the one proposed here. The aim of this simple exercise is to develop a short yet representative typographic composition of the diversity of the Latin alphabet. In the second part of the workshop, which is digital in nature, we will be able to develop more quickly, flexibly, and practically the previously produced proposals, through the use of digital tools. Thus, a brief introduction will be given to the digital type design software Glyphs and FontLab, followed by creation using these tools, individually or in small groups, based on digital templates containing the ModuLetter elements as pre-designed components, of a digital display typeface ready for installation and use on any operating system and software. At the end of this activity, students will have the tools and skills necessary to create, test, evaluate, and use a typeface with a minimum set of glyphs but technically viable and functional for alphabetic writing, as well as the understanding needed to develop future projects on a more advanced level, both academically and professionally.

>> Limited to 15 registrations (opens in a new window)

Workshop #04 — ESMAD/P.PORTO, B306
09h00 > 13h00

Modular movable systems‬

Ângelo Gonçalves (ESMAD, P.PORTO) Álvaro Sousa (University of Aveiro); Vítor Quelhas (ID+, ESMAD, P.PORTO)

Through research in the project “[ A Tipografia de carateres móveis pós-digital no ensino do Design: desenvolvimento de um sistema modular](pplx://action/translate)” developed by Ângelo Gonçalves as part of his PhD in Design at the University of Aveiro, a modular movable typographic system emerged. This system aims to promote reflection on materiality and process in contemporary graphic production by exploring Traditional Typography, valuing craftsmanship and workshop experience in contemporary Design teaching models. This workshop intends, on the one hand, to be a pedagogical experience that articulates the interpretation of Graphic Design with Traditional Typography processes and, on the other, to contribute relevant knowledge and skills for personal development. Thus, the following objectives were established:

• Reassess the role of movable type printing in contemporary Graphic Design, considering it a source of tactile and procedural knowledge for student teaching and practice;
• Analyze how Traditional Typography can improve contemporary Graphic Design practice, advocating a pedagogical approach that values manual experience and workshop processes;
• Promote the practice of Traditional Typography in Design teaching, opening space for creating critical mass on the topics;
• Ensure, through Traditional Typography, alternative ways of thinking and practicing Design, giving students and the community the opportunity to handle technologies generally seen as obsolete and difficult to access;
• Transmit fundamental knowledge of Traditional Typography;
• Develop reasoning and creative stimulation through working with a modular system;
• Explore the visual grammar of the developed modular movable system;
• Discover through practice the limitations and potentialities of Traditional Typography;
• Discover through practice participants’ feedback on the limitations or advantages of the system under study.

>> Limited to 15 registrations (opens in a new window)

The areas of interest for the call for papers, posters, type talks, and workshops for the Meeting are defined by (but not limited to) the following topics:

Type Design

The methods and processes in type design (critical analyses or original creations). The role and influence of technologies (analog or digital, for production or distribution) in current typeface design and font development.

Graphic and Editorial Design

Relevant typographic applications within the areas of Communication, Branding, Marketing, Visual and Corporate Identity. The impact on how organizations, events, or individuals are perceived through the creation of typography-based design projects. The role of typography in the development and in the perception of different editorial projects such as books, magazines and newspapers.

Multimedia and Digital Devices

The role of typography in media and entertainment platforms such as websites and interactive applications, in technologically mediated contexts such as mobile devices, television, cinema, or video games.

Typography Applied to Product or Architecture

Relevant typographic applications in packaging design or in the identification and promotion of products; typography integrated into architectural and environmental spaces, such as signage or lettering for buildings and/or temporary spaces, or the creation of museology communication, exhibitions and physical experiences.

History, Culture, and Education

The evolution of technologies and their social impact. Changes in the perception of this discipline and its associated fields. The role of the discipline within specific human contexts: cultural, social, political, or economic. Also, how education and teaching have played a transformative role depending on the time, place and context.