27th Letter and Spaceman Book

This project invites students to closely examine the structure, personality, and visual system of a typeface through the creation of a type specimen book and an original “27th letter” of the alphabet.

Students begin by selecting an existing typeface and analyzing its key formal characteristics, such as proportion, stroke weight, contrast, rhythm, spacing, serif or sans-serif details, and overall typographic tone. Through this process, they develop a deeper understanding of how typefaces are constructed and how subtle design decisions shape a typeface’s visual identity.

Using their research as a foundation, students design a type specimen book that introduces and showcases the chosen typeface. The book should communicate the typeface’s structure, personality, and range of use through thoughtful layout, hierarchy, pacing, and visual composition.

In addition to the specimen book, students design a speculative 27th letter, a new glyph that could belong naturally within the chosen typeface. This invented letter should not feel separate from the original alphabet instead, it should follow the same visual logic, proportions, and stylistic details of the typeface. Students may explore hybrid letterforms, ligatures, new sounds, or imagined uses that expand the conventional alphabet system.

The final project includes a cohesive type specimen book, a fully developed 27th letter, and compositions that demonstrate how the new glyph functions within the selected typeface.

Through this project, students practice close typographic observation, systematic form making, conceptual thinking, and careful attention to layout and craft. They are encouraged to see typography not as a fixed system, but as a living visual language that can be studied, interpreted, and reimagined.