Typeface Design (Research)

Our MRes Typeface Design course is targeted specifically at experienced, practicing typeface designers who want to develop a deeper understanding of the historical and theoretical aspects of their field, and gain a research-intensive qualification that allows them to teach a postgraduate level.

The course is structured on a hybrid model, over two years of part-time study. This structure extends the core seminars of the residential MA Typeface Design course, and integrates intensive sessions modelled on the TDi short course.

Most of the work is conducted online, with three residential periods of two weeks each providing targeted research skills and archival work. The aim is to combine self-directed learning through guided study, discourse development through engagement with peers, face-to-face feedback on presentations and discussion, and hands-on experience with sensitive artefacts.

The course follows a two-semester structure per academic year. Students start the course in September of Year 1, with the first residential period at the beginning of the semester 1 (late September). The second residential period takes place in the semester 2 of the first year, at a time that coincides with the vacation period of most HEIs. The third residential period takes place in the semester 1 of Year 2.

The course is ideal for practitioners transitioning to teaching careers, and educators seeking to gain higher qualifications in a research-intensive environment. Graduates can expect to have a deep engagement with the literature in the field, and a unique opportunity to work with archival material. They can also expect to build broader academic skills in research and writing. The main output takes the form of a rigorous dissertation based on original research. We expect the better examples to be of publication quality, and contribute to the nascent scholarship in the field.

For more information, please visit the programme page: https://www.reading.ac.uk/ready-to-study/study/subject-area/typography-and-graphic-communication-pg/mres-typeface-design