To get started on the right path, this summer I enrolled in the short Type Design (TDi) course at Reading University, which also runs the world-renowned MA in Typeface Design that has produced many successful alumni. I learned an incredible amount and can highly recommend it.
I thought it might be helpful to share some of the insights and practical methods I learnt during the two intensive weeks. This article can never be comprehensive, but hopefully it will provide some building blocks to get you started and define your own process.