Designing letterforms for a children’s typeface
Horelli, Elli (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025120733344
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025120733344
Tiivistelmä
The purpose of this thesis was to explore the creation of letterforms for a custom typeface for Pikku Kakkonen, a well-known Finnish children's service. The goal was to create letterforms that reflect the brand’s playful visual identity and appeal to young audiences.
The study included an analysis of Pikku Kakkonen’s existing fonts and graphic guidelines to make sure that the new font aligned with existing visual elements. The design process is based on typographic theory and research on children’s visual perception and reactions to typography. The resulting designs were compared to Pikku Kakkonen’s visual identity, traditional font anatomy, and the Finnish model letters used in schools.
The final designs combine playful, hand-crafted shapes with the familiarity of the Finnish model letters to create legible letterforms. The thesis shows that designing typefaces for children benefits from combining typographic theories with what children recognize and understand.
The study included an analysis of Pikku Kakkonen’s existing fonts and graphic guidelines to make sure that the new font aligned with existing visual elements. The design process is based on typographic theory and research on children’s visual perception and reactions to typography. The resulting designs were compared to Pikku Kakkonen’s visual identity, traditional font anatomy, and the Finnish model letters used in schools.
The final designs combine playful, hand-crafted shapes with the familiarity of the Finnish model letters to create legible letterforms. The thesis shows that designing typefaces for children benefits from combining typographic theories with what children recognize and understand.