Unveiling the Creative World of Nigerian Typography: A Journey of Expression and Innovation
In a captivating exploration of Nigeria's vibrant visual culture, we delve into the realm of type design, where a new generation of graphic designers is making waves. Despite the country's rich history of street typography, which predates digital fonts and design software, these designers are now bringing African expression to the forefront of typography. This article showcases the talent and passion of three Nigerian graphic designers who are redefining the landscape of type design, blending traditional sensibilities with digital innovation.
Chisaokwu Joboson: Redefining Nigerian Type with Cultural Authenticity
Chisaokwu Joboson, an influential figure in the Nigerian type design scene, understands the challenges faced by type designers in Lagos and beyond. He highlights the lack of infrastructure, formal programs, and a supportive community, which can be isolating for aspiring designers. However, Joboson is dedicated to building a community for type designers, ensuring that future generations won't have to start from scratch. His journey into type design was fueled by a desire to create authentic African typography, as he felt frustrated with the dominance of Western typographic forms in African branding.
Joboson's approach to type design is deeply rooted in African culture and storytelling. He explains, "Type design is a humbling and precise craft, demanding technical skills and time, but it's also expressive and full of discovery. For me, it's a journey of learning, unlearning, and bringing African culture into a Western-dominated field."
One of his notable projects is "Mekanikal Display," a monospaced, industrial-inspired font inspired by African vernacular. The name pays homage to the local spelling of 'mechanic,' and its beveled cuts mimic the shape of a nut section, reflecting workshop aesthetics. Joboson's work is bold, raw, and mechanical, yet infused with a handmade spirit, supporting African languages.
Joboson has also established the Ụdị Foundry, an independent type foundry dedicated to creating typefaces that embody African expression for a global audience. His brand, Studio Ansa, blends strategic design with storytelling, helping other brands solve their design challenges. Additionally, he founded Type Afrika, a community that fosters knowledge-sharing and the development of a new generation of type designers across the continent.
Joboson is currently working on two exciting projects: Gidigbo and Afro Sans, which he aims to release in 2026. Gidigbo is an expressive display font inspired by Yoruba traditional wrestling, while Afro Sans takes an Afrocentric approach to sans-serif type design. He is also expanding Ojuju, adding a new weight and improving metrics and kerning.
Seyi Olusanya: Capturing the Essence of Africa in Type Design
Seyi Olusanya, another talented designer, views type design as a means to learn about and contribute to Africa's visual vernacular. He encourages designers to incorporate genuinely African types into their design vocabulary, moving beyond pattern tropes and expected color schemes. Olusanya's process involves exploring archives, such as archivi.ng and the Nigerian Nostalgia Project, and drawing inspiration from his surroundings, including bus stops, signage, and small businesses.
His most notable work is the 2018 project "Danfo," which draws direct inspiration from the vinyl cut-out lettering found on Lagos's public buses. Olusanya's second project, "Tac," was inspired by the wordmark of Festac '77, and he collaborated with Google Fonts to create it. These projects solidified his interest in type design, leading him to establish Afrotype, a platform for building a catalog of typefaces inspired by African history, environment, and culture.
Olusanya currently runs Da Design Studio, dedicated to creating modern brand identity systems for Nigerian businesses, and has worked with numerous startups in Lagos.
David James Udoh: Blending Curiosity and Typography
David James Udoh, a graphic designer without formal training, found his passion and dream in brand design, where he could constantly experiment with typography. His curiosity and desire to create unique typefaces led him to develop his own style, inspired by the work of Ohno Type, known for their expressive and stylistic typefaces. Udoh's process involves collecting photos, sketches, objects, and even sounds, followed by loose sketching and endless refinement, testing, spacing, and redrawing.
Udoh's work, Funky Waka, is a highly stylized serif typeface inspired by hand-painted transit and signage designs in Lagos and Mombasa. The font captures the essence of local visual culture, infusing spontaneity and dynamic letterforms. He is currently working on an extended version, aiming to add comprehensive support for Sub-Saharan African languages.
These Nigerian designers are not just creating typefaces; they are crafting a unique African typographic identity, blending traditional aesthetics with modern innovation. Their work is gaining recognition and influencing global design conversations, proving that Nigeria's visual culture is a powerful force in the world of typography.
