Sonic Sans is a custom typeface designed in DES 325 Typography 1, a course I took in the fall of my sophomore year. The project began with a single letter: O. I sketched 25 variations to explore visual identity and abstraction, then chose five styles to expand into partial alphabets. One design stood out, inspired by the form of a Sony speaker on my desk. Its circular structure and intersecting bars became the foundation of the full typeface. I developed internal rules to maintain consistency while exploring how far letterforms can be abstracted before losing legibility. I then translated the alphabet, numerals, and punctuation into a working typeface using Illustrator and Calligraphr. From there, I created a 13 by 19 inch specimen poster in InDesign to showcase the font’s visual language, using overlapping spirals and clean layouts to highlight its retro-futurist feel. Throughout the project I refined my ability to design within constraints, respond to critique, and build expressive type from unexpected inspiration. Sonic Sans is both a functional font and a personal exploration of how everyday objects can shape bold, cohesive design systems.