Pedro Neves, LEGOtype receives UIC grant

Pedro Neves, Clinical Assistant Professor of Digital Media Design, has been awarded a grant from the Awards for Creative Activity program from the UIC Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research for his work in utilizing LEGOs to design typographic education for students.

Pedro first developed LEGOtype in 2022 for his advanced graphic design course. Students were tasked with creating modular letterforms using LEGO bricks, and then using the letterpress to print their designs. By designing letterforms using a modular approach, there was an opportunity to explore how individual parts could be combined and rearranged to create a range of different shapes and structures.

This grant will allow Pedro to fund the creation of a collaborative book that uses the LEGOtype approach. Designers from all over the world have been invited to contribute to the book, using the digital LEGOtype tools and a restricted palette of five colors. Pedro will work with students to assemble the designs in LEGOs and print them by hand using the letterpress at the School of Design.

To learn more about Pedro’s process in developing LEGO letterforms, check out the feature on This Is UIC's Youtube channel, or read the full UIC Today article.

UIC Today article by Rob Mitchum
Photo by Martin Hernandez