Milestone map
Milestone map
3 milestones
Complete the core character set and define design rules
8–16 weeks
Design the core character set — the 26 uppercase letters, 26 lowercase letters, and 10 numerals — and write a document defining the typeface's design rules. The design rules must answer three questions: what is the typeface's intended use (body text, display headings, logotypes), what is its formal structure (serif, sans-serif, monospace, script), and what are the 2–3 distinguishing features that make it recognisable. The core character set is the typeface's proof of concept: it must be consistent enough to demonstrate the design system, not just a collection of individually designed letters.
Proof required
Share an image or PDF showing the full uppercase alphabet (A–Z), lowercase alphabet (a–z), and numerals (0–9) rendered in your typeface. Share your design rules document (1–2 pages) stating the intended use, formal structure, and 2–3 distinguishing features. The typeface must be drawn in a font editor or design tool — not a photograph of hand lettering.
What gets checked
- All 62 characters (26 upper + 26 lower + 10 numerals) visible in the proof image.
- Design rules document covers intended use, formal structure, and 2–3 distinguishing features.
- Typeface drawn in a font editor or design tool — not hand lettering photographed.
Common mistakes
- Incomplete character set: 'here are the letters I've finished so far' — all 62 characters are required for M1.
- Design rules absent: sharing the characters without a document stating their intended use and distinguishing features.
- Inconsistency across characters: individual letters that are well-designed but don't share a consistent visual system — x-height, stroke weight, or terminal style varies unpredictably.
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- Consistency check: look at stroke weights across different letters — a serif at the same visual weight should have consistent thin and thick strokes. Ask the designer which 3 letters they consider the 'key' characters defining the visual system.
- Distinguishing features: ask the designer to point to a specific letter that best demonstrates each of the 2–3 features — this reveals whether the features are genuinely designed or post-hoc descriptions.
- Font editor: ask what tool was used and whether the characters have been exported as a working font file yet — a font file is not required at M1 but having one signals a more advanced working process.
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Complete extended character set and spacing
6–12 weeks after M1
Complete the extended character set — punctuation, common diacritics (à, é, ü, ñ, and similar), and the most common ligatures if the typeface warrants them — and set the spacing. Spacing is not cosmetic; it is a fundamental part of how a typeface reads at the character level. Even well-designed letterforms will read poorly if spacing is wrong. This milestone requires evidence that spacing has been addressed systematically, not just visually adjusted one letter at a time.
Proof required
Share a PDF or image showing the extended character set including at least 10 punctuation marks and 8 diacritical characters. Share a specimen showing 3–4 lines of body text set in your typeface at a normal reading size (10–14pt or display equivalent). Write one paragraph on how you approached spacing — what method or process you used (side-bearing values, string testing, optical adjustment).
What gets checked
- 10+ punctuation marks and 8+ diacritical characters visible in the proof image.
- Body text specimen at reading size — not just individual characters.
- Spacing process described — not just 'I adjusted it until it looked right.'
Common mistakes
- Extended character set omitted: only the A–Z characters from M1 with punctuation added later.
- No body text specimen: individual characters shown but not set as running text — the reading quality of a typeface is only visible in a text specimen.
- Spacing process absent: 'I moved the letters until they looked evenly spaced' — a real spacing process involves side-bearing values, consistent optical rhythm, and string-based testing.
Resources
What a verifier looks for
- The body text specimen is the primary quality signal — at reading size, poorly-spaced characters create visible 'holes' or 'collisions' in the text. Ask the designer to point to any letter combination they are not satisfied with yet.
- Diacritics: ask how the diacritics were constructed — were they designed from scratch, reused from the base character, or built using anchors in the font editor?
- Spacing process: ask what string-testing phrase the designer used — common ones are 'HHoHHo' for sans-serifs and 'nnonn' for spacing sidebearings. Absence of a systematic method suggests spacing was not addressed rigorously.
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Export a working font file and create a type specimen
4–8 weeks after M2
Export a working font file (OTF or TTF) that installs and renders correctly, and create a type specimen — a designed document that shows the typeface in its intended use cases. The font file is proof that the typeface has been technically completed: it can be installed, used in design software, and set as running text. The type specimen is the proof of design intent: it shows the typeface doing the job it was designed to do, in context, at multiple sizes.
Proof required
Share a downloadable link to the font file (OTF or TTF) — Dropbox, Google Drive, or GitHub are all acceptable. Share an image or PDF of the type specimen (minimum 2 pages) showing the typeface at display size (36pt+), body text size, and at least one real-use example (a poster, a book cover, a UI mockup, or a logotype setting). Write one sentence on what you would change about the typeface if you continued developing it.
What gets checked
- Font file accessible at the shared link — the verifier can download and install it.
- Type specimen shows the typeface at display size, body text size, and in at least one real-use context.
- What would you change — demonstrates self-awareness about the typeface's current limitations.
Common mistakes
- Font file not shareable: 'I can email it if needed' — the link must be directly downloadable.
- Type specimen shows only the character set: a character grid is not a specimen; the specimen must show the typeface in use.
- What would you change is absent: 'nothing, I'm happy with it' — every typeface has known limitations; absence of self-criticism suggests the designer has not looked at it critically.
Resources
What a verifier looks for
- Install the font and type a short sentence — the basic rendering test. Check that spacing holds at body text size and that diacritics render correctly.
- Real-use example: ask whether the typeface was actually used in any designed piece — even a personal project. The specimen's real-use example should look like it was designed with the typeface, not a neutral layout showing characters.
- What would you change: the most revealing question in this milestone. A designer who can name specific letters, specific spacing pairs, or specific contexts where the typeface fails has genuinely engaged with its limitations.
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