Add beautiful italics to your font

In this online video course, you’ll dive deep into the art of designing italic typefaces using Glyphs 3. I’ll take you from the fundamentals of italics, to drawing italics on paper, to advanced techniques in the software. At the end of the course, you’ll be able to create italic typefaces to perfectly accompany your Regular fonts.

✓ Italics that match your uprights

✓ From drawing by hand to digital

✓ Draw along with the videos

✓ Expand your fonts in no time

$249

JOIN THE WAITLIST →

Create complete typefaces

Learn everything you need to know to create your own italics as a companion to your upright, regular, fonts. We’ll look at slanting, curve compensation, and italic masters for both lowercase and uppercase letters.

Not only that, but we’ll study accents and diacritics, spacing and kerning, OpenType features and punctuation. To help you prevent making common mistakes, we’ll look at the most common ones.

Two computer screens displaying font design software with letterforms and outlines, one with a large black 'e' and the other with parts of an 'a' and 'c'.

More than just slanted

Before we turn over to drawing vector letterforms in Glyphs, we’ll start off with two markers, a rubber band and my calligraphy template to get a good understanding of the construction of letters. What needs to be thick, thin, curved and shaped in a particular way. This fully hand-drawn alphabet will provide you with a solid base to work from.

Hands writing the word 'trust' in cursive on a whiteboard with a black pen on a tablet screen with a yellow background.
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Valerie Maas

“After enrolling in the Font Making Course, I immediately started experimenting with italics. I kept tweaking, but something always felt off. So when Viktor launched his True Italics course, I knew I had to join. And what an incredible course it turned out to be! Informative, practical, and above all, a lot of fun to follow. Highly recommended!”

Who is this course for?

All font enthusiasts who’ve already made some Regular fonts and want to progress to exploring italics. Familiarity with Glyphs 3 is a pro, but if you’re up for a crash course challenge, you can follow along with the video and find out how the program works along the way (or you can check out The Font Making Course first!).

Do I need to be able to draw?

No. It helps, but it’s not needed. We start on paper with pencils and my calligraphy template so that you can get a better understanding of italic letterforms before we move the creative process into the software.

What you’ll need for this course:

Mac Computer (Glyphs 3 only runs on Mac OS)

Red circle with a white check mark in the center

Glyphs 3 installed.

A red circle with a white checkmark in the center.

What do I get when I purchase the course?

Three electronic devices: a tablet with tutorials, a desktop monitor displaying the word 'Italic', and a laptop showing a man at a desk with a microphone for recording or streaming.
White handwritten text on a black background that says 'High Quality videos' with an arrow pointing downward.

Eight modules

For a total runtime of more than 3 hours of high quality videos

Helpful Guidebooks

60 pages of coursebook which includes practice templates as well as more background info

JOIN THE WAITLIST →
Images of handwriting samples, one with numbers 368925 in black marker and another with the word 'dijnef' in red marker on graph paper.

Ask Me Anything

Are you feeling stuck with a particular technique or module? If so, feel free to ask me anything about the modules, directly within the context of your learning experience. I’m here to help clarify any confusion and support your understanding.

The modules in this course

  • Learn what makes italics unique. This module covers the history of italic fonts and why they matter in typography.

    1.1 — Introduction to the course

    1.2 — History of Italics

    1.3 — Oblique vs true italic

    1.4 — Italics in serif and sans serif

  • Start your with paper and pencil, or should I say pencils as we’ll use a double pencil technique. Discover how sketching helps bring your ideas to life before moving to the computer.

    2.1 — Form follows ductus 

    2.2 — Drawing uppercase letterforms

    2.3 — Drawing lowercase letterforms

    2.4 — Drawing figures and symbols 

    2.5 — Drawing the Italic ‘g’ 

  • Get clear on the first steps in creating a typeface. This module guides you through starting your italic design project smoothly.

    3.1 — What slant to use

    3.2 — Straight letterforms 

    3.3 — Round letterforms 

    3.4 — Angled letterforms

  • Learn how to set up your typeface in Glyphs 3. This module shows you how to organize and manage your designs efficiently.

    4.1 —Setting up Italic Master 

    4.2 — Components and reusing shapes

    4.3 —Helpful Plugins and scripts

  • Discover the difference between creating oblique and true italics in Glyphs. This module explains how to construct all characters.

    5.1 — Slants in characters 

    5.2 — Briem Method 

    5.3 — Oblique Sans Serif 

    5.4 — In-strokes and out-strokes

    5.5 — Uppercase 

    5.6 — Lowercase 

    5.7 — Digits 

    5.8 — Punctuation 

    5.9 — Uprights in Italics

  • Explore the advanced features of OpenType fonts. Learn how to add special characters and effects to make your typeface stand out.

    6.1 — What are OpenType features 

    6.2 — Stylistic Sets 

    6.3 — Historical forms 

    6.4 — Ligatures 

    6.5 — Historical ligatures 

    6.6 — Swashes

  • 90% of your kerning issues can be resolved with good spacing. This module helps you make your typeface look neat and balanced.

    7.1 — Spacing 

    7.2 — Kerning 

    7.3 — Kerning Groups

Full Access

Instant access to all modules so you can practice at your own paces

Easy to Follow

Short, to-the-point, modules you can do at any time

At Your Own Pace

Learn at your own pace, in your own time, anywhere in the world

By the end of the course you'll have gained:

Close-up of the letters 'Za' in red, with the 'Z' having a rough, sketchy style and the 'a' in a smooth, cursive font.

An in-depth understanding of letterforms angles and strokes

The chemical symbols for hydrogen and nitrogen, H and N, are displayed in red outline with a black background.

Insight into how to construct every italic letterform, punctuation mark, number, accent, and diacritic

Close-up of stylized text 'Hln' with red and yellow shading and lines on a black background.

The confidence to make design choices that make a font that’s entirely you.

What people say about my courses

  • Close-up of a man with curly brown hair, glasses, and a beard smiling outdoors.

    "I absolutely love the Font Making Course, and find myself returning to the lessons regular. There’s so much knowledge to glean here!"

    Elliot Jay Stocks

  • Black and white portrait of a woman with wavy hair, looking thoughtfully at the camera with her hand near her neck, next to curtains.

    "I'm so grateful to have taken this course, because without Viktor I wouldn't be where I am today."

    Stacy ‘Blanc Salváge’

  • Black and white portrait of a man with curly hair looking to the side.

    "I would highly recommend this course if you're serious about type, it will make you love it even more!"

    Adam Vicarel

  • A young woman with short, styled hair, multiple earrings, and a septum piercing, resting her chin on her hand, smiling softly at the camera.

    "I’m super happy with the course! I’ve created a typeface before, but following your process has definitely sped up my workflow, and I’ve discovered so many new tips that make this journey a bit easier!"

    Mari Carmen del Valle

  • A young man with short dark hair, a goatee, and a slight smile, wearing a dark shirt, sitting indoors near a window with natural light.

    "Besides the very detailed structured course Viktor gives invaluable feedback. This is the perfect combination."

    Michael Leonhartsberger

  • A woman with short, wavy dark hair wearing a black top, smiling slightly against a white background.

    "The course is full of useful knowledge and tips to learn and yet it is explained simple and easy to follow. So I was able to learn it step by step without being overwhelmed."

    Saori

A man with curly red hair, beard, glasses, wearing a black sweater, sitting at a desk with a computer keyboard and a mug, in a bright room with white curtains and bookshelf.
Logos displaying Glyphs, The Futur, Goodtype, and Fontself

Hi, my name is Viktor

I’ve taught more than a thousand creatives how to build fonts from scratch and I know how overwhelming it can feel at the beginning. That’s why this course is super clear, and focused on just what you need to get started. No fluff. No steep learning curve. Just small wins and simple tools to get you moving.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Yes. Once you’re enrolled, you have the flexibility to start at your own pace, whether that’s next week, a few months down the road or even next year. 

    I want the courses to fit into YOUR schedule, not the other way around.

  • Yes. We have added subtitles in English, Spanish, German and French. Please note that the German and French subtitles have been generated automatically and are still in Beta. Over time these will be checked by native speakers.

  • Yes! With the online True Italics Course you can learn at your own pace, in your own time, anywhere in the world. Stuck with a technique? Simply scroll back in time and start over.

  • Best to take this course if you already have some experience with font making. Take the Font Making Course first. I will teach you all the steps you need to take to create your own professional font.

  • This course is focused on Western European Latin languages. That includes English, your basic upper- and lowercase, and everything beyond like punctuations and diacritics. We do not draw Arabic, Cyrillic, or Devanagari characters.

  • In order to add italics as a secondary font, you'll need Glyphs 3. A 30 days trial version is available if you download Glyphs from their website.

  • You can order your course on this page. You will receive an email with links and instructions for accessing the course material.

  • Let’s be honest, ‘life long access’ is not something you can really claim. You’ll have access to the course material for a minimum of 5 years, or as long as it is relevant to Glyphs software.

  • I understand the confusion, glyphs with a lowercase are what you design in a font file. Glyphs with an uppercase is the software, also referred to as Glyphs App, or Glyphs 3.

  • The price is shown without VAT because some customers (e.g., businesses) can reclaim VAT, and VAT rates vary by country. The total price, including VAT, will be shown at checkout based on your location. Please fill in your Business Vat ID upon checkout.

Any additional questions? Feel free to email us at info@typedesignclass.com

True Italics Course

In this online video course, you’ll dive deep into the art of designing italic typefaces using Glyphs 3. I’ll take you from the fundamentals of italics, to drawing italics on paper, to advanced techniques in the software. At the end of the course, you’ll be able to create italic typefaces to perfectly accompany your Regular fonts.

✓ Add italics that match your uprights

✓ From drawing by hand to digital

✓ Draw along with the videos

✓ Expand your fonts in no time

$249

JOIN THE WAITLIST →