Define "experienced"... :-)

Starting in a vacuum is indeed hard. But that doesn't mean your goal has to be very niche. You could simply decide to make the best general-purpose sans you can for example - something that many people could use to set many kinds of (not-too-long) text. On the other hand, the narrower the goal the easier it is to be original (while always maintaining a functional framework). Or you could start from a shape you like (like a certain kind of arch or something) and develop a whole font from it; although for me personally that's a superficial approach (I know because I've done it too), it's still possible to: arrive at a usable display face, if you can learn to be not too literal, and break your "rules" as needed; and gain a lot of practice in the mechanics.

hhp

By no means am I experienced in anything, but I was recently in a similar situation for my senior thesis. I did a lot of research and reading and eventually ended up with an interesting, though very ridiculous (and somewhat embarrassing) idea for my project.

A good starting point would be to decide what type of project you would enjoy doing. Elliott Earls has a good essay in Emigre #65 that helped me with this. He categorizes modern type design as falling into 3 categories, "historical revival, vernacular interpretation, or exclusively formal extrapolation." From that point it was pretty easy to come up with a clear brief and strategy.

I hope that helped. Good luck.

I recommend defining a brief of some kind, which will constrain your thinking about a project and present a direction. Typically, type design briefs are along the lines of 'a signage typeface' or 'a text type for newspapers' etc., and require both stylistic and technical response.

Since this is a school project, I think you could set yourself something a little bit more interesting than these typical commercial briefs. Why not consider designing a typeface for a particular text, e.g. some book that interests you? This would force you to consider the material requirements of an edition (at what size should it be set, do you need variants e.g. for subheads or footnotes, how do you envision it being printed) and the stylistic suggestions of the text. Ideally in such a project, the stylistic considerations should avoid the obvious (it's a Jane Austen novel so the typeface is a revival of an early 19th century face) and reflect your response to the text, which might be affectionate if it is a book that you really like, but could also be ironic or subversive.