TYPEFACE DESIGN
2025 2024 2023
BOSTON UNIVERSITY
YINGCHEN (MOLLY) ZHOU
DE MONNE
INSTAGRAM
DOWNLOAD OTFDe Monne revives the dramatic weight shifts and flamboyant details of 19th-century American display types like ATF’s De Vinne and Columbus. Originally cast in metal and used for bold book covers and advertisements, these faces featured sharp wedges, wide stances, and powerful curves. De Monne softens some of the sharper corners while retaining the high contrast and strong personality of the original cuts.
De Monne type specimen by Yingchen (Molly) Zhou
De Vinne metal type
De Vinne type specimen by American Type Founders Co
Searching for Caleb cover by Anne Tyler
Nam semper semper ex inIn porttitor pellentesque sapien
Columbus type specimen by American Type Founders Co
De Monne type specimen by Yingchen (Molly) Zhou
De Monne type specimen by Yingchen (Molly) Zhou
De Monne type specimen by Yingchen (Molly) Zhou
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.