The Typography Inside Outside Course is a live online course led by type designer Frank E. Blokland and run by the Dutch Type Library through its Letter Model site. It takes place on ten Thursdays between 14 January and 29 July 2027, from 10:30 to 17:00 CET with a lunch break, plus an eleventh session for the final evaluation. The course looks at the aesthetic, conceptual, ergonomic and technical sides of typography. It costs €995 excluding VAT, and you need to register before 17 December 2026.

Most typography courses teach rules for setting text. This one goes further inside: it explains why type works the way it does, from the historical patterns of movable type to scripting and the role of AI in today's workflows. You put that into practice by designing the same book three times, each from a different point of view.

What You Will Learn

The course connects theory, history and hands-on design. Based on the official course page, it covers:

The aesthetic, conceptual and ergonomic dimensions of typography
The technical consequences of typographic choices, including GREP, scripting and automation
The role of AI in typography
The historical context of movable type
Designing three versions of a book of your choice: as an industrial, an artistic and an intuitive designer
Writing a paper that reflects on your work

Who Is the Typography Inside Outside Course For?

The official page recommends some knowledge of typography or experience in graphic design. That makes the course a good fit for working graphic designers, book designers and typographers who want a deeper, more structured understanding of their craft.

It is less suited to complete beginners, who may find the mix of theory, history and technical topics hard to follow without a foundation. It is also not a type design course: you design books with type rather than drawing your own fonts.

Course Structure

The course is built around ten sessions, called "Typography Thursdays", three weeks apart:

Session dates: 14 January, 4 February, 25 February, 18 March, 8 April, 29 April, 20 May, 17 June, 8 July and 29 July 2027
Final session: an eleventh session for the final evaluation
Session times: 10:30 to 17:00 CET, with lunch
Home study: about 16 to 20 hours in each three-week gap
Assessment: parts of your three versions of the book, plus a written paper
Group: a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 16 participants, who communicate in a Pumble workspace

Price and Access

The fee is €995 excluding VAT, paid in full in advance. It is not refundable once the course has started. The fee includes printed copies of three books: Blokland's dissertation "On the Origin of Patterning in Movable Latin Type", his "Reflections on Type and Typography [Related Matters]", and Peter Karow's "Digital Typography & Artificial Intelligence". You also get perpetual licences for DTL OTMaster and DTL CompareMaster, which the official page values at €305.

How to Register

Register through the form on the official course page before 17 December 2026. Your registration is evaluated first, and you pay once you have been accepted. Check the official page for any changes to the deadline or fee.

About the Instructor

Frank E. Blokland, born in Leiden in 1959, is a type designer whose typefaces include DTL Documenta, Documenta Sans, Haarlemmer, Haarlemmer Sans and VandenKeere. He graduated from the KABK in The Hague in 1984 and has been a senior lecturer in type design there since 1987. He founded the Dutch Type Library in 1990, worked with the Plantin Institute from 1995 to 2025, and earned a PhD from Leiden University in 2016 on standardisation in Gutenberg's type.

Things to Consider

Time: each session is a full working day, plus 16 to 20 hours of home study every three weeks.
Time zone: sessions run on Central European Time, which suits Europe best.
Length: the course lasts about seven months, so plan your workload around it.
Prerequisites: some typography knowledge or design experience is recommended.
Group size: the course needs at least four participants to run.
Refunds: the fee cannot be refunded after the course starts.

How to Get the Most From It

Choose your book early, ideally one with enough text and structure to support three very different designs. Taking the Typography Inside Outside Course with a real project in mind means the home study feeds directly into work you care about.

Register for the Course

Interested in learning with the Dutch Type Library?

For the full syllabus and pricing, visit the official Letter Model website.

Looking for more ways to learn? Browse all courses and learning resources on Good Stuff Weekly.

Last verified: November 12, 2026

Typography Inside Outside Course by Dutch Type Library