Arcana
Arcana is a custom gothic typeface designed with a focus on structure, contrast, and expressive detail. The project explores how architectural form and historical references can be translated into a cohesive typographic system while maintaining clarity and consistency across letterforms.
The typeface balances traditional gothic characteristics with contemporary proportions, resulting in a versatile display font suited for editorial layouts, posters, and visual identities that require a strong, distinctive typographic voice.
Year
2024
Industry
Typography / Visual Design
Role
Typeface Designer
Challenge
Designing a gothic typeface that retained expressive character while maintaining consistency and legibility across the full alphabet.
Translating architectural references into letterforms without relying on overly decorative or historically literal details.
Balancing strong vertical emphasis and sharp terminals with controlled proportions and readable spacing.
Ensuring visual cohesion across glyphs so the typeface could function as a unified system rather than isolated letterforms.
Solution
Letterform Development: Designed a full set of gothic-inspired letterforms with consistent proportions, stroke logic, and terminal details to ensure cohesion across the alphabet.
Contrast & Structure: Established controlled thick–thin stroke contrast and strong vertical emphasis to reference traditional gothic forms while maintaining clarity.
System Consistency: Refined spacing, alignment, and rhythm to ensure the typeface functioned as a unified system rather than isolated characters.
Application Testing: Evaluated the typeface through typographic specimens and layout applications to confirm legibility, balance, and visual impact in display contexts.
Impact
Demonstrated the ability to design a cohesive and expressive typeface system with consistent structure across letterforms.
Reinforced the importance of proportion, stroke logic, and spacing in maintaining typographic clarity and balance.
Showcased how historical references can be translated into contemporary typographic design without sacrificing usability.
Strengthened my foundation in typography as a core component of visual identity and design systems.
Deliverables
Custom gothic typeface character set
Alphabet and glyph specimens
Typographic posters and layout applications
Process sketches and refinement studies
