Typographica Library
Typographica Library
Black Type Designers & Foundry Owners

Black Type Designers & Foundry Owners

This page is an attempt to answer the frequent question “Where are the Black type designers?” The definition of type designer varies, from professionals who make a majority of their income in typeface design to those who have simply created a single font. This list applies the broadest definition; it includes anyone who identifies as Black and has worked in type design at some point in their career.

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Additions and corrections to this page are welcome! Simply send a message via Bluesky, Mastodon or email.

Black Type Designers

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Foundry Owners

Adam Yeo
Adebowale Adegoke
Adebowale Adegoke
dribbble.com

madebyDebo

Agnès Brézéphin-Coulmin
Agnès Brézéphin-Coulmin
agnesbrezephin.com
Agyei Archer
Agyei Archer
agyei.design
Aleme Tadesse
Alonzo Felix
Alonzo Felix
www.alonzofelix.com
Anna Diagne
Anna Diagne
Arthur Francietta
Arthur Francietta
afrancietta.myportfolio.com

https://www.behance.net/frnctt

Baynham Goredema
Baynham Goredema
thesovereignstate.org
Blondina Elms Pastel
Blondina Elms Pastel
www.atelierelms.com

Elms

David Williams
David Williams
www.manchestertype.com

Manchester Type

Denis Moyogo Jacquerye
Denis Moyogo Jacquerye
github.com
Émilie Aurat
Émilie Aurat
en.emilieaurat.com
Fhumulani Nemulodi
Fhumulani Nemulodi
www.behance.net

Tondi Type Studio

Forest Young
Forest Young

Wolff Olins

Frank Adebiaye
Frank Adebiaye
www.fadebiaye.com

Velvetyne

Gregory Gray
Gregory Gray
www.linkedin.com
Hendrika Makilya
www.hendrika.info
Jaamal Benjamin
Jaamal Benjamin
JaamalBenjamin.com

Studio Grand

Joshua Darden
Joshua Darden
en.wikipedia.org

Darden Studio

Kevin Adams
Kevin Adams
www.kevinadamsdesigns.com
Kevin Karanja
Kevin Karanja
www.behance.net
Kombo Chapfika
Kombo Chapfika
kombochapfika.com
Kwesi Amuti
Kwesi Amuti

AKOFAType

Lomedy Mhako
Lomedy Mhako
en.clatia.com
Marconi Lima
Marconi Lima
www.typefolio.com

Typefolio

Marks Salimu
Marks Salimu
O’Plérou Grebet
O’Plérou Grebet
oplerou.studio
Osmond Tshuma
Osmond Tshuma
www.behance.net

Mam'Gobozi Design Factory

Phenias Machila
Phenias Machila
www.behance.net

typefazed

Samuel Mensah-Bonsu
Samuel Mensah-Bonsu
www.samuelmensah.com
Schessa Garbutt
www.firebrand.house

Firebrand

Seb Garry (AKA Tapiwanashe Sebastian Garikayi)
Seb Garry (AKA Tapiwanashe Sebastian Garikayi)
www.behance.net

stype, typefazed

Seyi Olusanya

Afrotype

Silas Munro

poly-mode

Simon Charwey
Terry Biddle
Terry Biddle
www.terrybiddle.com

Terry Biddle

Tré Seals
Tré Seals
Oyinkan Karunwiwww.seals.studio

Vocal

Victor Bagu
Victor Bagu

KonQa

Wasbigo Obege
Wasbigo Obege

What Inspired this Page

image

The question asked in 2017.

The question asked in 2020, with many designers listed in replies, forming the basis of this database.

Talks on Black Type Designers & African Writing Systems

Talking Type: In Conversation with Kwesi Amuti and Tré Seals (Part 1) | Revision Path

September 8, 2017 As we prepared this latest installment of the Talking Type series, Nina Stössinger at Frere-Jones Type, posted a photo from TypeCon in Boston with Bobby C. Martin, Jr. asking the very question we're starting to answer. .@bobbycmartin asking the tough questions at #typecon.

revisionpath.com

Talking Type: In Conversation with Kwesi Amuti and Tré Seals (Part 1) | Revision Path
A Typophile's Twenty-Year Adventures in Zimbabwe

A Typophile's Twenty-Year Adventures in Zimbabwe with Saki Mafundikwa From an idea to founding Africa's first graphic design and new media college, designer Saki Mafundikwa will speak about his 20-year adventure running Zimbabwe Institute of Vigital Arts without funding. This will be an online Letterform Lecture held on Zoom.

letterformarchive.org

A Typophile's Twenty-Year Adventures in Zimbabwe
Abdoulaye & Ibrahima Barry, Mark Jamara, Neil Patel: Inventing the Adlam Script / Designing Type for a Society in Flux

Letterform Lecture, March 19, 2019 - In 1989, two brothers in Guinea, aged 10 and 14, invented an alphabet from scratch for their native language. Pular (and Fulfulde) were spoken by millions of Fula people dispersed across Western Africa, but had no writing system of their own.

vimeo.com

Abdoulaye & Ibrahima Barry, Mark Jamara, Neil Patel: Inventing the Adlam Script / Designing Type for a Society in Flux

BIPOC Scholarships for Type Design & Lettering Education

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Open for Applications

Letterform Archive offers a BIPOC scholarship in each of its public workshops and the Type West program.

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Deadlines Passed (but may be recurring)
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Typography By and About African Americans

African American Designers

Examples of fonts in use in the set "African American Designers"

fontsinuse.com

African American Designers
Women Designers of Color

Examples of fonts in use in the set "Women Designers of Color"

fontsinuse.com

Women Designers of Color
African American

Examples of fonts in use tagged with "African American"

fontsinuse.com

African American
BIPOC Design History

Bipoc Design History is a series of courses that revisits and rewrites the course of design history in a way that centers previously marginalized designers, cultural figures -particularly BIPOC and QTPOC people. Through live and pre-recorded lectures, readings, and live discussions, the class will shed light on moments of oppression and visibility.

bipocdesignhistory.com

BIPOC Design History
The Black Experience in Graphic Design: 1968 and 2020

We asked 15 design leaders to look back at Print’s report on racism in the profession. What has changed? What remains the same?

letterformarchive.org

The Black Experience in Graphic Design: 1968 and 2020
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