Hippy Swirl Typeface Design

Each semester, student copywriters and graphic designers from Grand Canyon University (GCU) join to work on a passion project that allows them to improve collaboration skills, embrace their creativity and have fun. During the Spring 2023 semester, students set out to design original fonts that helped fulfill unique design challenges.

Designer Catalina Eshelman wanted to create an organic typeface reminiscent of past decades that also matched current trends. Catalina and copywriters Marshall Angst and Sarah Riley set to work creating a concept and developing a landing page and poster to advertise this new font.

Deliverables created include:
• Project concepting
• Typeface design
• Posters
• Presentation
• Landing page

The result of their work is Hippy Swirl, a display typeface inspired by design trends of the 1960s and 1970s culture. Hippy Swirl takes inspiration from the earthy, psychedelic aesthetic of the 1960s and 1970s. Like the sun arching over the horizon down a winding West Coast road, Hippy Swirl exhibits an organic appearance with rounded curvature meant to resemble the sun and winding West Coast roads.

This original font is streamlined for use on stickers, posters and apparel. Its use in marketing will appeal to a wide audience, catering to those who are nostalgic for days gone by as well as younger generations who are drawn to the vintage aesthetic.