In reply to designing a face from small -> up:
Grant that my example spec is just that: an example. That said, in what way is it ("merely," as I infer from your response) average? Seems to me that if I were to learn that, I would learn something useful.
I've seen the comment in these forums that true design is a process of reconciling conflicting needs, or words to that effect. I'm groping toward on-screen body-text readability and transparency that looks "the same" as printed display-size beauty and personality. On-screen is obviously a reduction in detail.
If that's a merely average goal, teach me how.