Learning To Design The Cherokee Syllabary
with
Mark Jamra
Many issues and questions arise when designing non-Latin forms that lie outside a designer’s experience. How do the history, function and particulars of the Cherokee syllabary affect a type designer’s understanding of typographic communication? Do any of the characteristics of the contemporary, multi-font family actually apply to a syllabary with such a unique history and purpose? This will be a personal account of the lessons learned from a challenging project that's leading to new typographic forms for this particular language.
About Mark Jamra
Mark Jamra is a type designer and professor at Maine College of Art, who has designed and produced typefaces for over 35 years. He is the founder of TypeCulture, a digital type foundry and academic resource, and is a founding partner of JamraPatel, a studio focusing on type design for under-supported language communities. Mark has taught graphic design, lettering, typography and type design at colleges and workshops in the U.S. and Germany. His typefaces have received recognition from the TDC and the Association Typographique Internationale. Follow Mark on Instagram and Twitter