Specialization in Branding Typography: Craft Memorable Brand Identities

In this class, you will see what are the main brand strategy tools and what are the pre-creation processes of a typographic identity.

Basic Brand Strategy

Sketching Typographic Ideas

With pencil and paper, in this class I'm going to show you my lettering techniques during the process of finding the typographic voice of the brand we're working with.

14m

Refining the Draft

In this class, I will choose the draft that best translates the brand strategy outlined and the one that most differs from competing brands, and I will refine it.

Logo Vectorization

In this class, I'm going to talk about some techniques I've learned from years of experience to draw good curves and generate a logo with good readability and applicability.

Now you'll see where to find good fonts and what parameters we should take into account when combining fonts, in addition to exercising typographic pairing.

Typographic Pairing

Now that we have the logo designed and the fonts chosen based on the brand positioning we are betting on, it's time to put everything together and give the final guidelines in the assembly of our toolkit.

Toolkit Assembly

Presentation to the Customer

In this class, you will see how I present my creation to the client in a way that makes them feel impacted and excited to start using their new brand identity.

10m

Module 3

Join Fabio Haag as he uncovers how typography shapes perception, emotion, and identity in brand design. Through a deep dive into typographic history and functionality, you’ll begin to see fonts not just as letters, but as powerful tools for storytelling. Learn how to choose typefaces that speak with purpose—and impact.

17 lessons (2h 27m)

Brands and typography

In this class, I will explain why the connection between typography and brands is so relevant in visual identity projects today.

Feeling the lyrics

Now, you will discover how visual shapes can be triggers for emotional reactions.

The written letters tell our story

The lines of the letters reveal in their design the innermost aspects of each era, its culture and worldview. In this class, I will deal with this relationship between written letters and history.

10m

Printed types continue our history

Continuing the tour through history, you will see how the emergence of movable type impacted our culture and humanity.

The science of the reading process

What are the most accepted current theories to explain how the reading process works? In this class, I will address some of this research.

Legibility and readability in practice

Here, you will see in practice how we apply current scientific knowledge to typographic decisions in our daily lives.

Expressiveness and functionality

The holy grail of the discussion on corporate typography: how and why to balance expressiveness with functionality.

Typographic design brief

Shall we start the project? In different ways, listening is the secret to understanding customer needs.

Where do we start searching for sources? In this class, I will present my point of view on different options.

Typographic search

Typographic choice and analysis

In this class, I will present a practical tool to help with the analysis and facilitate the understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each typography.

18m

Defending your typographic choice

It's time to put together the presentation. And it is much more than showing typography, it is knowing how to defend your choices with reasons.

Licensing

Font licensing is a complex and boring subject (I know), but very necessary. Here, you will understand, in a didactic way, the main issues on this topic and the types of license.

Case Rio2016

A historical example of distinction and coherence. The Games Organizing Committee launched the following challenge: design a complete typography from these few letters and numbers.

Case Magalu

A typographic system with each font in its place. This case led to the creation of a true typographic system. And it all started with the logo.

Case Tramontina

All behind the scenes of a super collaborative project. An example of how to listen to the client, understand the needs of each area and think about typographic decisions considering this complexity, which is unique to each client.

A font to shine on screens of all sizes. It was exactly a search for greater consistency in the communication of the Globo group’s brands.

Case Globo

Case Banco do Brasil

The set of elements makes all the difference. This case is an example of the strength of a well-developed identity system.

Module 4

Explore how Daniel Barba López transforms existing typefaces into custom logos that capture a brand’s true essence. With his guidance, you’ll learn to shape letterforms into distinctive visual identities—starting from sketch, through digitization, and all the way to final polish. Discover how subtle modifications can make your design truly unforgettable.

14 lessons (1h 57m)

Introduction to typography and branding

In this lesson we will see a brief introduction to typography, its historical evolution and its relationship with the brand (corporate identity) as a selling factor.

Basic concepts and visual codes of typography.

In this lesson, we will delve into basic typography concepts such as the anatomy of letters and their structure. How many of them have a basic geometric structure, how structural elements can be manipulated, and their role in distinguishing from a typed logo to one with typographic manipulation.

10m

How to manipulate fonts for a purpose

Now, we will see the importance of the manipulation of typographic fonts, with a specific purpose. In other words, giving a logo particularity and personality to serve as a differentiator in the market.

Commissioning and conceptualization of the project

In this lesson, I will teach you to discern the nature of our project from the customer provided brieff, and we will do research that will allow us to conceptualize our project.

Documentation

In this lesson, we will graphically structure the results of our conceptual research, (typography, color, shape).

Type selection

In this lesson, based on the analysis of the concept, you will learn to select the typeface for your project, including combining two fonts.

Analog process

In this lesson you will learn, in a traditional way, the basic concepts of sketching, from an existing source. Thus, you can modify it to give it the personality you want to generate in your project.

Digitization and vectorization 1

We will begin the digitization process, cleaning our image and we will work on the first part of vectorization.

11m

Vectorization Process 2

In this lesson, we will continue working with vectors. We will use tools such as the magic wand, duplicate and pathfinder, in order to optimize the process.

14m

Optical adjustments

Now, we will make the optical adjustments, which will allow you to avoid problems in the readability of your logo.

Selection and application of color

We have finished the vectorization, now, I will teach you to make a correct selection of color, which will allow dressing and giving the final touches to your brand project.

Auxiliary Elements

We will see how to apply some auxiliary elements, such as illustrations or vectors, to give personality to our brand, through the different supports in which it will have a presence.

Printing Methods

Here, I explain some printing methods, (screen printing, hot stamping, letterpress), and I tell you about some of its peculiarities that will allow us to capture our design in different supports.

Application on different supports

Once our logo is finished, basic applications of it will be made, in the most traditional supports (business cards, letterhead, folder). Once finished, we will apply the principles of color and typographic selection that we saw in the previous lessons, to create a uniform brand identity and that everything has visual consistency.

Module 5

Discover how Ellen Lupton uses typography to give words their own personality and voice. Blending color, texture, images, and text, she’ll show you how to shape brand stories that are both visual and verbal. Step into a world where type becomes language, emotion, and meaning—all at once.

11 lessons (1h 7m)

Values and Context

I want you to be a storyteller and come up with a unique concept for ice cream. What story will your brand tell? What sensory experiences will you offer? We'll start here by playing with colors and flavors to start defining the brand. I will also talk about the values behind the product.

Naming

Designers should know how to invent interesting names, titles, or headlines. To help you come up with the name of the brand, I will teach you two techniques—name storming and mind mapping— that will lead you to create many ideas quickly.

Basic Type Sketches

A great logotype starts with bare-bones ideas. Here we will get started creating the logo by writing the product name with a marker or pen in different configurations.

Choosing a Primary Brand Typeface

Brand designers often start by choosing their primary font. Here, I will give you tips and ideas for creating a selection of typefaces to work with. It is important to see your product name in a variety of fonts.

Logotype Studies

Now that we have chosen one or more typefaces and a basic arrangement, we will discuss how to make a unique logotype, using fonts and the tools of Adobe InDesign.

Optical Sizes

Some typefaces include unique styles designed for headlines, captions, microcopy, and text. These are called optical sizes. These type styles will add nuance to many design projects. Let's see how to use them.

Choosing a Secondary Type Family

A playful logotype may need a dependable sidekick. Many brand systems use a secondary type family for taglines, product details, marketing copy, and more. I will now explain how to choose a typeface that supports your brand story and has appropriate similarities to—and differences from—your main typeface.

Color

Using color allows you to enhance the sensory and emotional impact of your product. What do colors say and how do you choose them? Here I'll show you examples of how to do this by choosing the colors for my brand.

Imagery

Imagery can be abstract or figurative. Patterns, illustrations, textures, and illustrations can enrich the narrative content of your brand system. But how do you choose the imagery that will complement your logotype and brand? Let's take a look.

Applications

You will now see how to make your brand real by designing packaging, signage, social media campaigns, subway ads—or trucks. To do this, I will explain how to choose elements that amplify the story behind your brand concept.

Presenting Your Work

Client presentations are works of storytelling. Here, I'll discuss how to engage a client in the process by giving them choices. I will also show you how to create a one-page brand guide that shows the parts of your system.

Module 6

Join Carlos Mignot and Rodrigo Saiani from Estúdio Plau as they dive into the vibrant world of pop-inspired typography. Through their creative process, you’ll learn how to design bold, expressive typefaces that shape memorable brand identities. Get ready to turn letters into powerful design tools with energy, rhythm, and personality.

19 lessons (4h 21m)

Driven by the purpose of making pop typography

In this class, you will learn why Plau's purpose is to create pop typography.

Logo is one of the most recognizable elements of a brand. Just imagine condensing the promise of an entire company or initiative into very few forms.

What makes a logo shine?

Typography is the stem cell of communication

Typography is the spokesperson for an idea anywhere.

Typographic theory

In this class, we will see how to translate a personality through letters.

19m

Briefing: defining the project scope

In this class, we will understand what the briefing is and what it is for.

Sketching ideas in Procreate

Let's sketch ideas on the iPad. Follow the process!

Refining drafts in Procreate

Now it's time to refine the draft.

11m

Sketching ideas on paper

Simply with a pencil and eraser it is possible to start our project. And with some valuable tips you will save time and generate increasingly interesting ideas.

14m

Refining drafts on paper

No matter how detailed a drawing on paper is, there is always room for improvement.

Vectorizing logo

In this class, you will see how to vectorize the logo in a simple and effective way.

13m

Advanced vectorization 1

Now, you will learn about valuable vectorization techniques.

19m

Advanced Vectorization 2

In this second part of the class, you will see the vectorization work letter by letter and the specificities that emerge in each of them.

Our way of thinking custom fonts

We will teach everything we learned about how to find the typographic voice of brands and develop fonts for the most different purposes.

Font vectorization 1

In this class, you will see the first steps towards creating your own font, in the same way we do every day at Plau. Let's transfer the vectors created in Illustrator to Glyphs and start designing the font.

In this second part of the class, we will complete the alphabet and get everything ready to vectorize the other characters in the font.

Font vectorization 2

18m

Vectorization: numbers and orthographic signs 1

In a font, the numerals, punctuation and accentuation are as important as the letters AZ. For a font to work well, all characters have to be thought out with the same care.