Spotlight on Black Type Designers

Feb 15

At Portland Design Co, we love the art of typography and know the power it carries to elevate a design. In honor of Black History Month, we wanted to share a couple of resources that highlight Black type designers, as well as talk specifically about a Black type designer whose work we love and whose talent and expertise is making powerful waves in the world of typography.

First up is Tré Seals, the founder of Vocal Type Co. Tré’s typefaces are based in living history: he used the original sign for the Stonewall Inn as the basis for his typeface “Marsha,” named in honor of Marsha P. Johnson, a Black transwoman who was major figure in the 1969 Stonewall riot that birthed the modern day LBGTQ+ liberation movement. He has also created “Martin,” “Bayard,” and “Eva”—all typefaces with historic significance, based in fights for racial, economic, and gender justice. Many of his typefaces are available for purchase on his website. We can’t say enough about Tré’s work—not only are his typefaces beautifully designed, but the thoughtfulness and power behind them are pretty amazing.

We also wanted to share this list of Black type designers and foundries and this article about BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) type designers. Though neither source is near being comprehensive, the two are a great starting place for checking out the work of some Black type designers from around the world and supporting them by purchasing their typefaces. We were particularly struck by the work of Mam’Gobozi Design Factory, based in South Africa, as just one of the many talented studios represented in this list. Osmond Tshuma, one of the principles at Mam’Gobozi, designed a powerful typeface as a critique of colonialism.

Finally, though it doesn’t focus on type exclusively, we also wanted to share this resource, created by Black designers for people across the industry who are looking to support the varied work and endless innovation of Black creatives.

Here’s to celebrating and lifting up the work of Black designers year-round.

Thanks for reading!

All the best,
The PDC Crew

P.S. Did you pre-order your Portland East Coast tee or hoodie yet?? These babies will be printed and shipped in March, order yours NOW!

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