ALJA HERLAH
is a graphic designer specializing in typeface design, lettering, sign paiting and calligraphy. Her work includes designing type families and visual identities with a strong emphasis on original typography. Working for renowned studios in Berlin and London has given her experience in designing large-scale fonts.
The typefaces she has created independently have received awards both in Slovenia and internationally, including the Brumen Award 2024, Brumen Award 2022, DOS Design Achievement Recognition 2024 and the Granshan 2022 special mention. Since 2019, she has been a part-time assistant at the Department of Visual Communication Design at ALUO, University of Ljubljana.
Since 2016, she has led the Tipo Brda association, actively organizing workshops, lectures, and events related to typography. As a self-employed cultural professional, she runs the Type Salon design studio (since 2019), where she creates unique typefaces and develops diverse visual identities for cultural institutions and boutique businesses. In 2023, she founded Dotless Type, a platform dedicated to reviving “almost forgotten” typefaces by young Slovenian designers.
Alja is a member of the Atypi typographic association and actively contributes as a Country Delegate. She is also a member of the Board of the Brumen Foundation.
WORK
2019 –
– freelance type designer /
– freelance graphic designer
– co-founder Type Salon
– founder Dotless type
– Teaching Assistant @ Academy of Fine Arts, Ljubljana
2023–2024
Teaching Assistant @ Faculty of Desgin
2017 – 2019
Type designer @ Dalton Maag, London
2015 – 2016
Type designer @ Atlas Font Foundry, Berlin (Intern and Employed)
2012 – 2015
Freelance graphic designer and photographer
VOLUNTEER
2025
· Head of the programme European Design Awards Ljubljana
· Type Design workshop: Glyphs Level up, 3-days, @MSUM Ljubljana (organisation)
2024
· Tipo Brda Callipgrahy summer camp, one week @Pliskovica (organisation)
2022
· Brush calligraphy, Tipo Brda, 2-days, @MAO Ljubljana (organisation)
2021
·Experimental calligraphy, Tipo Brda @ Mestni muzej, Ljubljana
3 days long workshop (co-organiser)
2019
· Type Days, @ Poligon – creative center. 4 days long type design workshop (co-organiser)
· Tipo Brda 25th – Secesija Now @ Pliskovica, One week long type design workshop with the focus on art nouveau lettering made in Slovenia (co-organiser)
2018
·Type Days Ljubljana, one week long type design workshop (co-organiser)
· Tipo Brda Sign painting workshop, organizing & coordinating one week long workshop of signpainting and lettering (co-organiser)
· Bolje na črnem, calligraphy workshop (co-organiser)
· Typography meetup, Poligon, Ljubljana (co-organiser)
2017
· Type Days Ljubljana, one week long type design workshop (co-organiser)
· Tipo Brda Sign painting workshop, one week long workshop – signpainting and letterin (co-organiser)
2016
· Tipo_čvek, talks in the field of typography (co-organiser)
EXHIBITIONS
2022
Wesna typeface @ Mestna hiša, Ljubljana
29 črk za 25 let, Tipo Brda @ group exhibition, Figovec, Ljubljana
2021
Plecnik typeface @ Plečnikova hiša, Ljubljana
Plaktivat Solidarnost competition posters, Figovec outdoor, Ljubljana
Plaktivat Solidarnost competition posters, Gin&Juice bar, Ljubljana
2020
Stay Sane Stay Safe
(poster as part of the whole exhibition)
@ 3 sec. gallery, Breda, The Netherlands
Tam Tam covid poster @ Slovenia (poster exhibited in Murska Sobota)
2019
What are your beliefs?
@ Ulična Galerija, Layerjeva hiša Kranj
Tipografija študentov ALUO in NTF @ NUK, Ljubljana (typeface exhibited among other projects)
2018
Pangramme:learning type design @ Museum für Drukkunst, Leipzig, Germany (typeface Alica as part of the whole exhibition)
2017
Pangramme:learning type design @ ATypI, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada (typeface Alica as part of the whole exhibition)
Pangramme:learning type design @ Biennal of Graphic Design of Chaumont, France (typeface Alica as part of the whole exhibition)
2016
Pangramme:learning type design @ Fine Art and Design School Amiens, France (typeface Alica as part of the whole exhibition)
Pangramme:learning type design @ Lorraine Fine Art School, Metz, France (typeface Alica as part of the whole exhibition)
2015
Bodi črka – postani beseda @ Vodnikova domačija, Ljubljana (part of type design/typography/calligraphy student exhibition University of Ljubljana)
MENTORING / WORKSHOPS
2025
· Penmanship 3 days, Vodnikova domačija Šiška, Ljubljana
· Lettering workshop for children 8–14, Vodnikova domačija Šiška
2023
· Tipo Brda, Type Design summer camp, Pliskovica
· Lettering explorers, ALUO, Ljubljana
2022
· Adobe Illustrator @ University of Ljubljana, 3-days workshop for students
· Adobe InDesign @ University of Ljubljana, 2-days workshop for students
2021–22
The alphabettes mentorship program (mentor to MB)
2020
· How to shape your Latin? @ Alharf House, Amman, Jordan
· Summer type design workshop, ALUO, Ljubljana (Gerry Leonidas as mentor, I was assistant)
2019
· Type Days Ljubljana, Ljubljana (mentoring 5-days-long workshop)
· Secesija Now, Pliskovica (co- mentoring 5-days-long workshop)
2018
· Type Days Ljubljana, Tipo Brda
(mentoring 5-days-long workshop)
AWARDS
2024
Brumen Biennial of Slovenian Design 2024, award for typeface Wesna
Brumen Biennial of Slovenian Design 2024, recognition for the lettering Film Bar
DOS – oblikovalski presežek 2024 –
for Dotless type
2022
Brumen Biennial of Slovenian Design.
Typeface Univerza Sans
Typefaces Spektra & Plecnik
Special mention, Granshan, 12th Typeface Design Competition 2021/2022
2021
Modern Cyrillic 21: Spektra Cyrillic one of the winners
Plaktivat: poster design competition (one of finalists)
2017
PRINT Typography & Lettering Award: Best in Class winner in the Student Typeface Design category
2016
Pangramme: The Jury’s Selection
TALKS
2022
· tga Vienna, Plecnik (as Type Salon) @ Designforum, Museum quarter Vienna
2021
·ATYPI, All Over, The Holistic Work of Slovene Architect Jože Plečnik Presented through Letterforms,
· TYPOGRAPHY DAY, Plecnik Typeface, Designed on the Basis of Hand Drawn Letters by Jože Plečnik from the Archive Collection (as Type Salon)
2020
· Festival Indigo @ Ljubljana (presenting new typeface Spektra with Type Salon)
· TYPWKND @ online festival (presenting new typeface Spektra with Type Salon)
· TYPOGRAPHY DAY 2020 @ Amman, Jordan (presenting new typeface Univerza Sans)
· Typographics @ online (part of online feedback Alphacrit by Alphabethes, not actual talk!)
2016
· Tipogovori @ Vodnikova domačija, Ljubljana (presenting my work as type designer)
2015
· Zakaj še ena? @ Kreativna Zadruga Žalec (presenting typeface Alica)
EDUCATION
2013 – 2016
· Masters’s degree
Thesis: Theory of The Stroke in Designing Non-Latin Typeface Family
Graphic and interactive communications @ Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology, Ljubljana
2009 – 2013
· Bachelor’s degree
Thesis: Development of Serif and Sans Serif Typeface on The Same Skeleton
Graphic and interactive communications @ Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology, Ljubljana
TRAINING
2019
Arabic Type Design Workshop, Beirut, Lebanon
2018
Brush lettering, All eyes on type, Rotterdam
2017
Arabic Lettering @ Amsterdam, Lara Caplan and Kristyan Sarkis
2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Tipo Brda, one week type design workshop
2016
· Bilingual Arabic & Latin Monogram Design, @ Typo Berlin, Tarek Atrissi
· Ligatures @ Typo Berlin, Marko Jovanovac
· TypeCooker Sketching Session @ Typo Berlin
Erik van Blokland, Paul van der Laan