This paper summarizes the conclusions reached as a consequence of two years' work on the design of an original typeface using METAFONT. While being in one sense unsuccessful, in that the design of the typeface is still far from complete, the experience has been instructive in pointing up a number of discrepancies between the underlying assumptions about the design process that professional type designers bring to their work and those current in the T
EX world.
These discrepancies, and what appear to be the reasons for them, are discussed.