(Type Design, Research)
Fall, 2024
Currently ongoing
Sumatra is display typeface inspired by the vernacular style of architecture, flora, fauna and object craftsmanship in the Sumatra archipelago pre-Dutch colonization period. I referenced two Sumatran ethnic groups in particular, the Tobak Batak in the North, Minangkabau in the West. In the late 19th century when the Dutch invaded Indonesia, the imposition of a Latin orthography is an articulation of a concept postcolonial scholar Eduoard Glissant terms ‘a violent transparency.’ This typographic study is an attempt to explore the potential of reclamation.
This typeface is currently undergoing the digitization process. For font licensing information, contact me through email.