In Glyphs, creating a blackletter typeface starts with studying the structure and rhythm of historical blackletter forms before translating them into a consistent digital system. Each letter is built as a vector shape using Bézier curves, beginning with key control characters such as “n,” “o,” and “h” to establish the core stroke contrast, angle, and weight distribution. These foundational glyphs set the visual logic for the rest of the alphabet, especially the sharp vertical stress, broken curves, and dense texture typical of blackletter styles.

Once the base characters are refined, the design expands across the full character set, maintaining consistent stroke endings, serif-like terminals, and uniform spacing rules. In Glyphs, side bearings are carefully adjusted so the tightly packed rhythm of blackletter remains legible without collapsing into visual noise. Diacritics, punctuation, and alternate glyphs are then added to ensure the typeface functions as a complete system rather than isolated letterforms.