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12 great typefaces created by graphic design students

When it comes to typefaces, every graphic designer struggles with choosing the right one for their projects. But if you can't find the typography you need, how do you complete your vision? For many, the solution is to create a unique set of fonts, something that no one has dreamed up before.

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Image courtesy of Shillington. All other images courtesy of Shillington and its students.

Image courtesy of Shillington. All other images courtesy of Shillington and its students.

This is what we regularly challenge our students with at Shillington. We set them the task of crafting one or more fonts, taking into account weights, styles, condensations, widths, slants and everything they might need to create a bespoke typeface that fits a specific brief. For a little inspiration, we've sifted through a wealth of recent work to bring you 12 great typefaces created by our graphic design students. See what you think.

1. Miguel Lugtu

When faced with the challenge to design his own display typeface based on a specific era, Miguel Lugtu chose Art Deco and created Cinema – a vintage styled typeface with contrasting thin and thick lines. He was apparently inspired by the movie La La Land and themes of Old Hollywood, and was so successful he became a finalist in the AGDA Student Awards in 2017.

Orange poster with "IILDA" typography on the left alongside a black and white portrait photograph of a man with film strip overlay on the right
Cinema typeface display showing a Godard quote in Art Deco-inspired letterforms with contrasting weights in gold and white on dark blue background
Four typeface design samples displayed on a purple background, including geometric and colourful layouts with typography experiments by graphic design students

2. Tom Noon

For the BFI Film Festival, designer Tom Noon created a fictional brochure focusing on the work of Stanley Kubrick. For such a great theme, Tom had to design his own typeface, taking inspiration from the iconic film director's back-catalogue, ranging from gloriously unpredictable SciFi to all-out, chaotic horror.

Three posters on a concrete wall featuring black and white typography and graphic designs, including one with "FESTIVAL" text in blue
Display typeface with uppercase letters, lowercase letters and numerals arranged in a grid pattern against a light blue background

3. Marcus Parrott

Marcus Parrott created an identity for a small, independent garden centre in East London. Part of the brand exercise involved designing a bespoke typeface, no doubt inspired by prickly cacti. The sharp lines and extra details perfectly suited the subject.

Outlined typography reading "Green House East" overlaid on a photograph of tall green cacti against a pale sky
Cinema typeface by Miguel Lugtu displaying capital letters, numerals and punctuation in gold outline style on dark green background
Business cards and packaging for Green Shift Fest featuring gold geometric line patterns on dark green and white backgrounds

4. Andy Jacobs

The student brief for Andy Jacobs was to come up with a poster campaign to publicise a darts-based sporting event at the Olympic Park in Stratford, London. Andy came up with an identity and fresh typeface that mimicked the speed and point system of the game.

Concrete corridor with two circular vents on the ceiling and a glowing red and white neon sign displaying vertical text on the far wall
Dark navy geometric typeface displaying the full alphabet in a blocky, pixelated style on a coral orange background

5. Tom Holding

"People don't want different. We are the Outciders," reads the rather quirky strapline for an oddball cider brewery based in Devon.

It's a fictional brand by Tom Holding who decided to come up with a visual identity for the drinks firm, along with a bespoke typography. "Outciders make a variety of flavourful ciders inspired by folklore and legend," explains Tom. This is probably why his unique typeface is wild and hand-drawn.

Three colourful beverage cans with contrasting geometric and illustrative designs in teal, coral and purple
Turquoise background with white handwritten text reading "pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs" on the left, and a character map showing repeated letters on the right

6. Biz Weegberg

Biz Weegberg is all about colourful words. Which is why we're happy to show you the clever typeface she crafted for her fictional identity system on Beirut. Reflecting the language, religion and cultural aspects of Lebanon's capital city, the typeface fits together in a modular system.

Vibrant Beirut festival poster with purple, blue and green geometric shapes mounted on a black jacket against a graffitied wall
Black geometric typeface with angular, interlocking letterforms on a lilac background spelling out four lines of text

7. Daniel Kan

Jump aboard the Metro typeface by Daniel Kan. Designed to be optimistic, nostalgic and dynamic, it's an interesting arrangement of fonts, taking full inspiration from the underground lines and tracks that serve some of the world's busiest cities every day.

Red geometric letterforms spelling out "Abcdefghija Klmnopqrst Uvwxyz" against a dark blue background, with a white pixel font alphabet below

8. Georgina Keenan

There's a lot of talent behind Georgina Keenan's Handmade typeface. Created for a poster for her chosen movie, Kubo and the Two Strings, the alphabet was entirely made from original origami to mimic the animated film's use of folded paper. Beautiful work.

Alphabet in red, white and blue with playful mechanical and industrial elements integrated into letter forms
Three variations of the Metro typeface designed by a Shillington student, showing colourful Rapid, solid black Giger, and wireframe versions of the letterforms

9. Inigo Ropner

This beautiful custom typeface by Inigo Ropner is based on a classic gothic script style, brought to life from his sketchpad. We love the traditional angles and slants, harking back to a time when lettering really was a work of art.

10. Mark Osmond

For Mark Osmond's latest work, he crafted a HUB typeface for a fictional app designed to encourage tenants to pool online food purchases. The type consists of hexagonal elements that refer to the shape's tessellation properties and elements coming together.

Complete alphabet and numerals of Cinema typeface, a geometric display font with hexagonal letterforms in black

11. Ray Wong

We're getting into a spin about Fabricate, a brand identity designed by Ray Wong for a pretend laundrette and art cafe in East London. The contemporary vibe hopes to inspire a young and trendy audience, and features a beautifully modern typeface with satisfying black and white shapes and lines.

Three black and white street posters featuring minimalist geometric designs with profile portraits and abstract shapes, displayed on a weathered urban wall
Cinema typeface by Miguel Lugtu displaying the alphabet, numerals and special characters in white on a black background

12. Martina Schenker

For Martina Schenker's recent student brief, she decided to craft an identity for Camden, taking big cues from the area's rich cultural heritage. As part of the branding exercise, she had to create a bespoke typeface that then rolled out to a poster series, app and student flags. Bold, confident and clear, it's a typeface that certainly gets attention.

Illuminated storefront window display with bright blue and purple neon signage featuring bold geometric letterforms on a dark background
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