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01 May 2017

Competition: make a LEGO font

Posted by Admin

It's high time we ran a competition. In the last year or so the LEGO® Group have released several new tiles, and they are very cool pieces. I want you to use them to create lettering, such as this example I designed digitally. You could win 250 new LEGO tiles!


This is of course inspired by Elspeth De Montes who created this rendition of "New Elementary" for us a while back using Medium Azure quarter-circle tiles, and it seems that others were inspired too.


Making a good typeface is actually pretty difficult. To simplify matters I only need you to create the phrase LEGO DNA, which ironically is a phrase that irritates me, but it does include a good spread of letterforms. Your rendition can be uppercase, lowercase or a mix.

You can use whichever LEGO elements you like in your design, the only rule is that you must utilise at least one of the following new pieces pictured here. They are:
That's it for constraints. Colours don't matter, use whichever you like whether or not the pieces exist in those colours in reality. I don't even need the pieces in your design to connect in reality - this task is more about design than modelling.

Digital entries are welcome - in fact, I would recommend this, given that you will need these new pieces in bulk to create your typeface, and that it's easier to duplicate designs digitally than in plastic! There are many options for digital LEGO building but I am not certain that these all contain all of these new elements.
  • Mecabricks works in your browser (i.e. no download is required), is easy to grasp and it has all these new parts - in fact here is my file with them all selected for you to get started.
  • LDraw is the longest-running community for digital LEGO building, consequently some may not find installation or operation to be as user-friendly as other software. However I think they have all these new parts (can someone confirm?)
  • Stud.io is the new software from BrickLink. It doesn't have all of my chosen new parts but can import LDD and LDraw format files.
  • LDD (LEGO Digital Designer) is the official software from the LEGO Group but it is no longer updated.
What am I looking for when judging? Beyond "things that look great", I'm not sure, it could be any number of things, so do what inspires you and maybe surprise me. I will certainly appreciate typefaces that are pleasing, well-proportioned letterforms that could actually work as a real typeface. But then something like graffiti-style writing would also be really cool. Something that embraces the... um, for want of a better phrase... "LEGO DNA" aspect to this task might also score points.

Competition details

There will be three 1st prizes in this competition (and no other prizes). The three winners will each receive a package consisting of 50 of each of these new tiles meaning there will be 250 LEGO elements per winner, courtesy of the kind support of the LEGO Group. A magnificent prize I'm sure you'll agree!

Entries close at the end of 31 May 2017 (in your local timezone).

To enter, use the form below to send your image of the phrase "LEGO DNA", written using LEGO elements including some or all of the five tiles listed above. (You can send up to four images of your typeface if you wish but it is not necessary. You're welcome to create a complete alphabet but that will not impact on the judging.)

Entries will be published on the blog. Winners will be contacted by email on 7 June to request address details. If no response has been received by 14 June, another winner will be selected.

Entry form

The competition is now closed. View the amazing entries we received!


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Prizes mentioned in this post are kindly supplied by the LEGO Group. All content represents the opinions of New Elementary authors and not the LEGO Group.

20 comments:

  1. to the best of my knowledge, most of the new tiles are not available in LDD (yet) tha last update just added the 1x1 corner snot brick, but not all new pieces

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  2. "the only rule is that you must utilise at least one of the following new pieces pictured here"

    Just so I don't accidentally go down the wrong rabbit hole, does that mean literally just one of any of them, or at least one of each?

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    Replies
    1. Just one of any of them is enough, but obviously use as many as you wish of any!

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  3. They're indeed not in the LDD, and not in Stud.io, even though they can be (very painfully!) imported from 3D files laying around.
    (interestingly, after today's Stud.io's update, the whole tiles section is completely empty now)

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    Replies
    1. thankfully there is another update to rectify this! Shame the tiles here are still not all present though

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  4. Awesome contest! Thanks for hosting this! I will be sure to enter.

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  5. Any limit on the number of entries we're allowed to submit?

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    Replies
    1. Yellow entry form box answers that question.

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    2. Indeed, as many times you you like.

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  6. "DNA" in "LEGO DNA", refers to Deoxyribonucleic Acid?

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    Replies
    1. Hehe, I guess. It is a phrase I hear sometimes to refer to the "LEGOness" of a model. e.g. "Exposing the studs really adds to the LEGO DNA of this model".

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  7. Interestingly, year ago I designed a Lego version of the Times font and have been selling letters on my site http://www.freethebrick.com. Still, its an existing typeface and is not tile-based - the letters stand on their own or are wall mounted. So no contest entry here 8-(

    But I love fonts and I love Lego so I'm looking forward to seeing how this contest works out!

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    Replies
    1. Love it! Thanks for mentioning. I like the wall mounting with Technic.

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  8. I used the latest all-in-one installer for LDraw, but it only seems to have part 24246.

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  9. At least you know that there are all available in Mecabricks :-p
    Looking forward to seeing all the cool stuff that you guys will come up with.

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    Replies
    1. I'd only heard of MecaBricks here and there recently but went to give it a look. Awesome! I've thrown together several fonts over the course of as many hours.

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  10. Pieces don't need to connect in reality but can they overlap? In other words, you're looking for a graphic, not a MOC?

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    Replies
    1. Okay let's keep some semblance of reality and say no overlap

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    2. Well, might need to ditch a couple of my submissions then. ;-) Maybe I'll try to rework them to be 'legal'.

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  11. Can't wait to see the entries published.

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