TYPEFACE DESIGN
2025 2024 2023
BOSTON UNIVERSITY
ALEXINA FEDERHEN
FEDFARLAND
INSTAGRAM
DOWNLOAD OTFWhen searching far and wide for the perfect typeface to revive, Alexina came across McFarland. This typeface had been lost for over a century, but found a place in her heart due to her ancestral link to the Scottish Clan McFarland. Revived, renamed, and reimagined as FedFarland, this type specimen explores the possibilities of this distinctive typeface. You are welcomed on this voyage to reconnect with her heritage, enjoy the culture of Scotland, and find a new favorite typeface.
Fedfarland type specimen by Alexina Federhen
Newcastle type specimen
Newcastle type specimen
Fedfarland type specimen by Alexina Federhen
Fedfarland type specimen by Alexina Federhen
Fedfarland type specimen by Alexina Federhen
Fedfarland type specimen by Alexina Federhen
Fedfarland type specimen by Alexina Federhen
Fedfarland type specimen by Alexina Federhen
TYPEFACE DESIGN
2025
2024
2023
INSTRUCTOR
Christopher Sleboda
TEACHING ASSISTANTS
Amanda Mundy (2025), Ash Wei (2024)
DESIGN
Erica Pritchett · Built with Cargo
ABOUT
This site documents student work from an advanced typeface design course taught by Christopher Sleboda and open to students in the MFA Graphic Design and BFA Graphic Design programs at Boston University, as well as students in the School of Visual Arts—including those in the new Visual Narrative MFA. The course provides a rigorous introduction to the conceptual and technical processes involved in creating original digital typefaces. Students explore the foundations of letterform construction—including structure, proportion, counterform, spacing, and rhythm—while developing their own typefaces.
Through research, sketching, and the use of digital tools like RoboFont, students engage with typographic history and contemporary practice to design functional and expressive typefaces. Each student produces a working font and a printed type specimen. This site showcases the results of that work, reflecting diverse design approaches and a deep engagement with the craft of type design.