About the Type Portrait Project

In Survey and Principles of Typography's Fall 2016 class at Capilano University, instructor Carol Aitken gave students one week and a limitation of one typeface family to create a typographic portrait of a famous personality. Charmaine Cheng chose Bachelor of Design Co-Coordinator, Pascal Milelli. Pascal may not be world famous (yet), but he is a well-known face in the IDEA School of Design! Charmaine got a little obsessed with placing many thousands of glyphs; she spent 25 hours on this wonderful portrait!

It took me around 25 hours! I did initially think “Never again, this took me way too long!” when I finally finished the piece. But just a few weeks ago, a singer found the photo of the portrait on IDEA’s Instagram, then contacted me. Now I’m being commissioned to make him a portrait for his album cover. Which is very cool, but also scary, because here we go again…

About Survey and Principles of Typography

This course provides students with a thorough understanding of typography as a core element of visual communication. The evolution of type from the mid-1400s to the present day is discussed in the context of the technology of the time and its influence on letterforms. Students gain a grounding in the principles of best typographic practice as they apply to print and digital mediums. Instruction in design-related software supports the course. For additional information see: capilanou.ca/programs-courses/art-design/degree

About Pascal Milelli

Pascal Milelli is the Illustration instructor and Co-Coordinator of Capilano University's IDEA School of Design. He is a graduate of the Alberta College of Art and Design. His illustration clients include Scribner Books, Harpers Magazine, Canada Post, Seattle Opera and Bombardier. His work has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators and featured in Communication Arts and Applied Arts magazines.