Be a Type Designer in New Game

Theresa Stone

When we’re being honest with ourselves, most of us will admit we don’t have the patience necessary to design a typeface. But we still like to pretend we do — and that’s why an online game called Shape Type from Method of Action is so much fun.
The object of the game is to drag anchor points that affect certain Bezier curves until whatever glyph is onscreen looks good. Once you’re satisfied, you click a button, and the game compares your attempt to the actual glyph and scores your effort. The closer you are to the original, the higher the score.

Since the typeface’s name, designer, and year of issue is listed next to each character, you can cheat — er, educate yourself — by studying the original glyph before you drag any anchor points. These are the typefaces to search for:
• Lubalin Graph by Herb Lubalin, released in 1974.
• Trajan by Carol Twombly, released in 1989
• ITC Edwardian Script by Ed Benguiat, released in 1994
• FF Dax by Hans Reichel, released in 1997
• Interstate by Tobias Frere-Jones, released in 1996
• FF Zine Slab Italic by Ole Schafer, released in 1997
• Syntax by Hans Eduard Meier, released in 1969
• Linden Hill Italic by Barry Schwartz, released in 2010
Shape Type is Method of Action’s second online design game. The first, called Kern Type, challenges you to move letters in a word around until you think the spacing between them is appealing and legible. Your score is based on how close you come to the original kerning specifications of the typeface’s designer.