cades, LEGO bricks have sparked creativity, allowing people to build everything from dinosaurs to cityscapes. In a University of Illinois Chicago classroom, the School of Design’s Pedro Neves discovered that these modular pieces could also serve an educational purpose, helping students learn typography by designing letters and numbers.
In 2022, Neves developed LEGOtype for his advanced graphic design course, challenging students to create any letter of the alphabet using a pile of LEGO bricks. What initially seemed like simple play quickly revealed surprising depth, prompting students to explore design principles that make letters legible.
Letterform design involves altering the shape of individual letters and numbers by changing their thickness, height, or adding details like serifs and stems. With LEGOtype, students use flat LEGO bricks in various colors and shapes, from circles to stars, to iteratively build their type designs—first digitally, then with real bricks on a flat LEGO plate.
“It’s really thoughtful experimentation with formal visual research,” said Neves, a clinical assistant professor. “Once you start diving into the details, students realize there’s a lot to learn.”
Neves noticed that the completed LEGO plates resembled traditional wood and metal type blocks used in printing presses. Using a 60-year-old Vandercook letterpress machine, students printed their designs, blending modern creativity with classic techniques.
The letterpress, similar to the original Gutenberg press, requires several manual steps: applying ink to metal rollers, setting the LEGO plate at the correct height, and cranking paper through the machine. This analog process, combined with using LEGOs, helps students slow down and appreciate the physical aspect of design.
“The physical making of these letterforms makes everyone slow down,” Neves said. “You have to grab the right block and place it correctly. Removing blocks takes time and effort, but these moments of serendipity can’t be replicated on a computer.”
A new grant from the Awards for Creative Activity program will allow Neves to take his project international. He plans to create a collaborative book using the LEGOtype approach, inviting 36 designers worldwide to design a letter or number with digital LEGOtype tools and a limited color palette. Students will then assemble the designs with LEGOs and print them using the UIC letterpress.
The process, expected to take six months, will produce 150 copies of the book for distribution to schools, museums, and design-focused institutions. Neves hopes the book will inspire new letterform research and learning.
“It’s inspiring to see a small classroom project evolve into an international collaboration,” Neves said. “Translating classroom experiments into larger experiences is incredibly exciting.”
Stay tuned for more updates on this innovative fusion of LEGO, typography, and traditional printing techniques.
