FontPop · Type Design Club & Workshop (June–July)
FontPop is a unique online type experience — part workshop, part mentorship, part hangout — designed to support a wide range of alphabetic interests, projects, and levels of experience.
🅐 Overview
An eight-week online studio and flex-workshop that is:
Centered around type design and letter arts.
Adaptive to your interests, goals, and skill level.
A mix of group sessions and direct personal guidance.
Welcoming of participants from around the world.
Open to a wide range of letter-based formats and disciplines.
Guided by playful discovery. Grounded in discipline and craft.
🅑 A Project-based Experience
FontPop is built to meet you where you are, whether you’re exploring letterforms for the first time or developing a more advanced type project.
You’ll define your creative path and select one or more project formats to explore, including:
Type design → develop a font based on your lettering style, a loved one’s handwriting, or a historical reference.
Experimental lettering → push the limits of letter-making as far as you dare to (and perhaps create a font from your speculative characters).
Applied lettering → design lettering styles for tattoos, book covers, custom signage, or anything else that comes to mind.
Branding → create a logotype, wordmark, monogram, or lettermark for yourself.
Symbols → develop your own system of icons, pictograms, or sigils.
Typography → explore typesetting and page composition.
Layout → create a zine, some concrete poems, or typographic narratives.
Fine art → integrate letterforms into your broader artistic practices.
And more → We welcome new and unexpected modes of letter-play!
🅒 Weekly Club Sessions
We gather on Zoom once a week for some quality together time.
Time: Wednesdays, 6:30–9:00 pm Pacific Time
Dates: June 3, 10, 17, 24 and July 1, 8, 15, 22
Content: brief educational topics and demos; fun creative prompts; individual check-ins (in breakout groups); project showcases; and other assorted activities.
The format is easygoing. No long lectures, and no forced participation. You can engage with the parts that suit your schedule and interests, and that’s it.
Attendance is flexible, not mandatory. You won’t fall behind if you miss club sessions. Key lessons are often recorded and made available afterward.
🅓 Dedicated Personal Instruction
You’ll also receive direct guidance and support through one-on-one sessions.
You select your meeting times (from a wide range of openings)
Scheduling meeting times is easy on our automated system
You can quickly change or cancel meetings when needed
Your total meeting time is based on the participation level you choose:
Light level → Four 30-minute sessions (2 hours total)
Core level → 45 min/week + 4 post-workshop hrs (10 hours total)
Ultra level → 90 min/week + 8 post-workshop hrs (20 hours total)
A two-week rollover period is available for missed or postponed 1:1 meetings
🅔 Three Participation Levels Available
🅕 About your Instructor
Rod Cavazos is a veteran type designer, educator, and artist based in San Francisco. He has designed typefaces for dozens of the largest companies and brands in the world.
He has led the popular Type Design Advanced Studio at California College of the Arts for 20 years, and was a co-instructor in the Type West program at Letterform Archive for 4 years.
🅖 Terms & Conditions
1 · Overview — FontPop is a small, guided online workshop experience that includes group meetings (“Club Sessions”) and one-on-one meetings (“Studio Sessions”). By registering, you’re reserving a spot in a limited-capacity program and agreeing to the terms outlined below.
2 · Registration & Payment — Registration is confirmed once payment has been received. Because space is limited, spots are held specifically for each participant and are not transferable without prior approval.
3 · Age Requirements — FontPop is designed for adult participants, 18 and older. Participants between the ages of 12–17 may join with written consent from a parent or guardian. In such cases, a parent or guardian must also be present during any Zoom sessions involving their child. :: Regardless of participant age, the overall tone of FontPop is kept at a PG level.
4 · Refunds & Cancellations — Full refunds are available up to 14 days before the start of the workshop. :: A 50% refund is available within 14 days of the start date. :: Refunds are not available once the workshop begins. If you’re unable to attend, you’re welcome to continue accessing materials and scheduling any remaining 1:1 Studio Sessions within the workshop's timeframe.
5 · Scheduling & Attendance — Participants are responsible for scheduling their sessions, and we’re not able to recover time that hasn’t been booked. :: If you need to reschedule a Studio Session, please do so with reasonable lead time. Missed sessions may not always be recoverable, though some flexibility is built in.
6 · Use of FontPop Materials — All FontPop materials provided to participants are for personal use and may not be redistributed, shared publicly, or resold in any way.
7 · Intellectual Property — All work created by participants during FontPop remains their own.
8 · Software & Tools — Access to certain tools (such as Glyphs 3) may be provided during the workshop period. Participants are responsible for securing their own licenses if they wish to continue using these tools after the workshop ends. :: The use of unlicensed font making tools is prohibited.
9 · Changes to the Program — FontPop may make reasonable adjustments to scheduling, content, or structure as needed. Any significant changes will be communicated in advance.
10 · General Conduct — Participants are expected to engage respectfully with others and contribute to a supportive environment. Detailed expectations are outlined in the Code of Conduct below.
11 · Accomplishment Levels — FontPop is a learning experience, not a guaranteed outcome. While every effort is made to provide meaningful guidance and support, end-of-term results will vary depending on individual participation and goals.
🅗 Code of Conduct
1 · Shared Space — FontPop is a collaborative environment built on curiosity, generosity, and mutual respect. Participants come from different backgrounds, skill levels, and perspectives. That diversity is part of what makes the experience meaningful.
2 · Respectful Interaction — Please approach others with openness, patience, and good intent. Constructive feedback is encouraged, and should always be offered with care and clarity. Dismissive, hostile, or exclusionary behavior is not welcome; and potentially divisive topics or agendas should be set aside before joining FontPop meetings. We are here for the love of letters.
3 · Creative Integrity — Please do not reuse, reproduce, or adapt another participant’s work, or any other copyrighted materials, without obtaining express permission. Make sure to acknowledge and credit all sources and influences.
4 · Privacy & Trust — What is shared in sessions — whether ideas, works-in-progress, or personal info — should be treated with respect and confidentiality. Apart from your own work, please do not record, share, or repost content from sessions without express permission.
5 · Boundaries — While FontPop is friendly and informal in tone, it is still a structured environment. Please be mindful of time during sessions and respectful of others’ attention and space.
6 · Enforcement — If behavior arises that disrupts the experience for others, we will address it directly. In the case of egregious or repeated instances of unwanted behavior, participants will be dismissed from the program.
By registering for FontPop, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Code of Conduct guidelines in the sections above.
🅘 FAQ
1 · What are the minimum requirements for participating in FontPop?
All you really need is Zoom access and something to draw with. A pencil and some paper can get you started nicely.
If you can sketch out loose ideas for an alphabet, lettering style, or logotype, we can meet you there and help you develop things further. More advanced tools can come into play later, as needed.
2 · I’m not very experienced with drawing, lettering, or design. Is that going to be a problem?
Not at all! FontPop is designed to welcome a wide range of experience levels. Some participants are just getting comfortable making letterforms, while others are refining more developed projects. The one-on-one sessions allow us to meet you where you are and support your particular way of working.
No matter what, we’ll make sure you and your fellow participants feel fully welcome and supported.
3 · Why does FontPop mix participants with different skill levels and goals in one workshop?
Because that mix tends to make things more interesting, rich, and inspirational.
What brings everyone together is a shared interest in letters, even if that shows up in very different ways. Group sessions benefit from that range, while one-on-one time allows each person’s work to be supported at the level it needs.
In practice, this often leads to unexpected connections, new ideas, and a more dynamic studio environment overall.
4 · Can registration be paid for in two installments?
Yes, it is possible to pay 50% up front, and 50% by the beginning of the fourth week. Luma isn't set up for this, but you can contact us directly to make arrangements.
5 · I live in a different time zone. Will scheduling be an issue?
We can usually find something that works!
Group sessions happen at a fixed time (and are largely optional). The chart below shows how a few global time zones align with our Wednesday sessions (courtesy of World Time Buddy).
Meanwhile, our one-on-one meeting schedule accommodates a wide range of time zones. And custom time slots can often be set up, as long as they fall within reasonable waking hours in our home base of San Francisco.
6 · What happens if I need to reschedule or cancel a 1:1 meeting?
If you know you won’t be able to attend, please use our scheduling system to formally cancel or reschedule as soon as possible. This helps keep the calendar accurate and makes that time available to others.
7 · What if I miss a week or two?
That’s completely okay. Life happens, especially during summer!
Group sessions are not mandatory, and most educational content is video-recorded, so you can catch up later.
One-on-one sessions can be deferred or rescheduled for up to two weeks, so there’s some built-in flexibility there as well.
8 · How is one-on-one meeting time tracked?
Sessions are scheduled in set blocks (e.g., 30, 45, or 90 minutes), and are best understood as ‘up to’ the scheduled duration, rather than exact minute-for-minute allotments.
If a 1:1 meeting wraps up early by 20 minutes or more, the time balance can be applied to a future session upon request. (Time missed due to late arrivals cannot be carried forward.)
9 · Can I be more of an observer or quiet participant?
Yes, absolutely!
You’re welcome to engage at whatever level feels comfortable. Some people like to jump in and share frequently, while others prefer to listen and reflect. Both approaches are completely valid, and no one is ever put on the spot.
We hope you’ll feel welcome to participate actively, but you will never be forced to.
10 · English is not my strongest language. Will that be a problem?
If you’re comfortable understanding and communicating in English at a general level, you should be fine. 🙂
You’re also welcome to use translation tools if they help. Our goal is to make FontPop workable and supportive, not to put pressure on language.
11 · Do I need to have my camera on during Zoom sessions?
We do encourage cameras during group sessions, as it helps with connection and engagement.
That said, we fully respect personal preferences and privacy, so it’s absolutely fine to join with audio only if that works better for you.
12 · Do you teach calligraphy, brush lettering, or similar skills?
Not directly. Those practices are difficult to teach effectively over Zoom. What we can do is help you refine and develop your letterforms, especially in ways that translate into digital formats like fonts or logos.
We’re also happy to point you toward resources if you’d like to explore those areas further.
13 · What if I want more one-on-one time than what’s included?
Additional sessions can be booked through our scheduling system. Pricing is $30 for a half hour, $50 for an hour, or $80 for a two-hour block, with additional price breaks for longer blocks.
14 · Is it possible to complete a font during the 8-week session?
Yes, it’s typically possible to complete a basic font, especially for personal projects, if you’re able to dedicate time to it between sessions.
More complex or commercially oriented projects will usually take longer, but we can help you make meaningful progress and set things up for continued development afterward.
15 · What software do I need, and how much does it cost?
We provide free access to Glyphs 3 (macOS only) during the workshop. If you choose to continue with it afterward, licenses are available from the developer (and FontPop participants are eligible for a 10% discount).
For Windows users, we can suggest alternatives like FontLab 8 (paid) or FontForge (free) and help you get oriented.
Brought to you with the support of:
PSY/OPS Type Foundry · T26 Inc · Glyphs GmbH
Contact Us!
FontPop is organized by PSY/OPS Type Foundry, San Francisco.
Feel free to connect at [email protected].