Arcane Type Foundry is a small, independent type foundry located in Vancouver* Canada.
Here at Arcane Type Foundry we believe that fonts are magic and we want to share that magic with all of you! We endeavour to make fonts that meet your needs and never let you down. This means we use our deep understanding of the technical, aesthetic, and psychological aspects of type design whenever we make letterforms—both retail and custom.
But a type foundry is more than just drawing letterforms. We also have fair and easy to understand licensing and frequently update and improve our existing font families.
Arcane may mean “mysterious and understood by few” but we make it our mission to share knowledge about this particular area of arcane arts and are very open about the process of making type & letterforms. Feel free to swing by one of Alanna’s type design live-streams on Twitch where you’ll get answers to all kinds of audience questions from “what is a double storey a?” to “why is sock-sorting the worst part of doing laundry?”
*I would like to take a moment to acknowledge that the land on which we live and work is the unceded traditional territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations and I am grateful to be able to make typefaces in such a beautiful place.
My love and fascination with letterforms probably started while doodling bubble letters on my notebooks in English class. Later, I went to Emily Carr University of Art + Design to study communication design and emerged even more curious about letterforms and their place in design. I am now an independent type designer and lettering artist making magical retail and custom typefaces through Arcane Type Foundry!
My letterforms have been described as having ‘happy curves,’ which means that no matter the style, a friendly disposition is always infused into the vector drawings. But don’t mistake friendliness for frivolity; I am also a huge nerd and my fonts are always executed with the highest technical care. This ultimately results in typefaces and lettering with warm curves and technical precision, which is a win-win for your design projects!
In addition to fonts, I also make lettering pieces and create products featuring nice letters including stickers, cards, and even a book about being a huge letter nerd. I also stay involved in the local Vancouver design community by teaching typography at BCIT and co-organizing Type Brigade—a speakers series with talks on type-related topics.
Combining Type Workshop: Design Educators RGD, May 2025
Designing Custom Typefaces: Ladies Wine & Design, Jan 2025
Show Your Work: Creative Pulse, May 2024
Beyond The Static Letter: Using The Full Capability of Font Software Descan Awards Evening, Nov, 2023
A Look Inside Type Design: Guest lecture at Capilano University, Wilson Schools of Design, & Langara College, 2022-present
Creative Cross Training: Lettering Creative Pulse, Apr 2018
Typefaces in Time: Creative Mornings, Dec 2015
Font Friday: Stornoway Pimp My Type, Jan 2025
What Makes a Quality Font? Pimp My Type, May 2024
The Music of Type Design ILT, Apr 2024
Font of The Month: Amberwood ILT, Sep 2023
Font Friday: Kyoshi Pimp My Type, Oct 2023
Font Friday: Avona & Avona Serif Pimp My Type, Apr 2021
Typeface: Stornoway Variable
Development: Alanna Munro + lots of looking stuff up
Tools: Webflow & Fontdue & Notion
Built in: August 2025
Tools: Glyphs 3, Fontbakery
Proofing: Affinity Designer & Publisher