​Kiki and Bouba Font Lab

​How to make a real, working font from literally anything.

​In this one-of-a-kind workshop, you'll craft an entire alphabet out of physical materials (paint, ketchup, ink, beads, or something you bring from home), then scan it in and turn it into a fully functional OTF font file. 

​We'll walk you through the vector software basics you need, including Image Trace and Pathfinder or their free equivalents in Inkscape, then move into font-making software to refine your letters and export the real thing. Every person in the room leaves having made something that has literally never existed before.

​About Your Instructor: Adrianna is an art director with 10 years of experience building brands from scratch, which means she has spent a lot of time making hand-crafted fonts. Her teaching style is all about the process: make the mess first, clean it up later. You won't be chasing a perfect outcome here. You'll be encouraged to experiment, get weird with your materials, and see where things go. The technical polish comes at the end, and she'll walk you through every step of it.

​Class Structure: First, we'll nerd out with a little font talk. What the helly is kerning, leading, and rag?? Then, we'll build our alphabets. Come with a material already in mind, whether that's a favorite medium, a texture you've been obsessed with, or something weird from your apartment. Or just show up and work with what we provide: paint, honey, ink, beads, and more. The only rule is that every letter comes from the same material so your font has a cohesive look. Messy, precise, chaotic, or considered, all of it works.

​Once your alphabet is built, we photograph and scan everything in. From there, you'll learn the vector software basics you actually need. Students with Adobe Illustrator can use that; those without will work in Inkscape, which is free and does a similar job. No prior experience with either program is necessary.

​Then we load your letters into FontForge (also free). You'll assign each character, refine your spacing, and get everything sitting right before exporting your finished font as a real, installable OTF file. This is not a mockup or a screenshot. It’s a real, usable font!

​After class, every font made that day gets compiled into a collection and sent out to the full group. You leave with your own font plus every font made by everyone else in the room.

​Materials Provided:

• ​Materials for building your alphabet

• ​Paper and trays for letter-building

• ​Photography Access

• ​Full software walkthrough (Inkscape and FontForge are free; Illustrator users welcome!)

​What You'll Walk Away With:

• ​Your own fully exported OTF font file

• ​The complete font collection from everyone in the class

• ​Working knowledge of vector tracing and path-editing tools

• ​A repeatable process for making fonts on your own at home

​What to Bring: A laptop is required. Inkscape and FontForge are both free to download ahead of time and links will be sent with your confirmation. If you have Adobe Illustrator, bring that instead. Come with a material you want to build your font out of, or come with nothing and use what we provide. If you have a vibe or aesthetic in mind, bring reference images. No design or tech experience necessary.

​About Kiki and Bouba Craft Lab: Kiki and Bouba is an experimental craft lab run out of our private studio in East Williamsburg. Artists ourselves, we spend our days tinkering so we can bring you exciting, new crafts you won't find anywhere else.

​What to Expect at Our Workshops: This is not a paint-and-sip. We specialize in 2-4 hour workshops that teach you the fundamentals of skills that have taken us years to hone. Classes can be skill-intensive and hands-on, with a small seat capacity so everyone gets the attention they need. Come ready to embrace the learning curve. The skills and satisfaction you walk away with are always worth it.

​Refund Policy: Kiki & Bouba Craft Lab is a small, artist-run studio led by just the two of us, Adrianna and Zolzaya. Every ticket directly supports the materials, space, fees, and care that go into each workshop.

​Because of this, all ticket purchases are final and non-refundable, so we encourage you to book thoughtfully. If you’re unable to attend, you’re welcome to pass your spot along to a friend. Just email us at [email protected] so we can update the registration.

​If you’d prefer to switch into another workshop of the same price, we’re happy to help with that as long as you reach out at least 72 hours before your scheduled class.

​Photography & Video Notice: We take photos and videos at our workshops for promotional use. By purchasing a ticket, you consent to being recorded and potentially featured in future marketing materials. If you prefer to not be included, please let us know in writing prior to your class. Thank you so much!

​Please Note: Participants will receive a liability waiver by email before the class begins, required to be completed prior to class. Please arrive on time to maximize your making time.

​We can't wait to see you there <3