Welcome to Typography!
Before you are fully enrolled on your course, these links will help you navigate welcome week and get ready for the start of your studies.
Things to buy
Computer buying guide
All postgraduate students are required to have their own laptop with relevant software. The file on the above link has detailed recommendations on hardware and software – not all of this is a must, but good to have in mind.
Preparatory reading
Our recommended pre-sessional reading for MA students is Paul Luna’s Typography: a very short introduction (Oxford University Press, 2018). This book will help you develop familiarity with some of the typographic terminology and perspectives we draw on during the course.
Other short reads you might want to check out:
Spiekerman, E., & Ginger, E. M. (1993). Stop stealing sheep and find out how type works. Adobe Press. — available online
Visual Function: An Introduction to Information Design. By Paul Mijksenaar
Software skills preparation
Once you start the MA course, you will be expected to design effective multipage documents in InDesign, using, for example, master pages and stylesheets to streamline your work.
A medium level of proficiency in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and XD or Figma is also desired.
For students who haven’t used the program before, are coming to us from another discipline and/or have not used InDesign for detailed typographic projects like book, magazine or newspaper layouts, then self-directed learning in Indesign is crucial before the start of the course. Here is a suggested list of courses from Linkedin Learning if you think you will need to pick up software skills. Undertaking these courses (or courses from other providers) is completely optional, and not a requirement to start the MA.
Figma (an alternative to Adobe XD for UX work)