This directory was created in coordination with Ezhishin, a formative conference focused on Native North American typography.
Led by established and emerging Native designers, Ezhishin aims to facilitate conversations around the typographic needs of First Nations / Native American communities. Hosted virtually by the Type Directors Club on November 11–13, 2022, Ezhishin is part of TDC’s Type Drives Culture series, created to showcase typography, lettering, and type design from communities around the globe.
| Name | Scripts | Designer | Foundry | Release Date | Sources | Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kamama | Cherokee | Monique Ortman (Cherokee) | in progress | “This typeface was designed as part of my thesis for Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA in Graphic Design. I will be weaving type specimen mat posters for my thesis exhibition in October. Once released, this will be available for free to all Cherokee.” — Ortman on Instagram | ||
Meli | Cherokee | Chris Skillern (Cherokee) | Tulsey Type | in progress | A student project for the Type West Online certificate program. Specimen of two weights. | |
Goni | Jicarilla Apache | Leo Vicenti (Jicarilla Apache) | in progress | A student project for the Type West Online certificate program. | ||
Chokecherry | Cherokee | Chris Skillern | Tulsey Type | in progress | “Chokecherry is a lively sans for Latin and Cherokee, with influences ranging from handwriting to sign painting. … This is Tulsey Type’s first step in addressing the lack of display type that supports the Cherokee syllabary.” | |
Lava | Canadian Syllabics (all)InuktitutBlackfoot | Kevin King | Typotheque | 2022 | Background, Typotheque Syllabics Project, Typotheque Syllabics Project video | |
November | Canadian Syllabics (all)InuktitutBlackfoot | Kevin King | Typotheque | 2022 | Background, Typotheque Syllabics Project, Typotheque Syllabics Project video | |
October | Canadian Syllabics (all)InuktitutBlackfoot | Kevin King | Typotheque | 2022 | Background, Typotheque Syllabics Project, Typotheque Syllabics Project video | |
Radio Canada | Canadian Syllabics (all) | Jacques Le Bailly | 2021 | Initially designed in 2017 for CBC/Radio-Canada, the national public radio and television broadcaster. Expanded in 2021 to include a wide range of latinized Canadian Indigenous scripts. | ||
Pangea Afrikan | LushootseedNavajo | Christoph Koeberlin | Fontwerk | 2021 | Permanently free of charge. | |
Cascadia Code | Salishan | Aaron Bell | Microsoft | 2020 | Initially released in 2019. Added support for the Salishan languages of the Pacific Northwest in 2020. | |
Ilisarniq | Inuktitut | Étienne Aubert Bonn | Coppers and Brasses | 2018 | The Ilisarniq typeface family was designed for the Kativik School Board, the only school board of Nunavik. | |
Canada1500 | Canadian Syllabics (all) | Ray Larabie | Typodermic | 2017 | ||
Fedra Sans | Inuktitut | Peter Biľak | Typotheque | 2015 | “In 2015, Avataq Cultural Institute, the Inuit cultural organisation of Nunavik (Northern Québec, Canada), commissioned Typotheque to create an Inuktitut version of Fedra Sans for the organisation’s purposes.” — Typotheque | |
Phoreus Cherokee | Cherokee | Mark Jamra | TypeCulture | 2014 | The first Cherokee font family to include italics. Video, Typographica review, Portland Press Herald, AIGA Eye on Design | |
Huronia | Canadian Syllabics (all)InuktitutCherokee | Ross Mills | Tiro Typeworks | 2013 | ||
Explora | Cherokee | Rob Leuschke | TypeSETit | 2012 | ||
Lushootseed School & Sulad | Lushootseed | Juliet Shen | The Tulalip Tribes | 2009 | Commissioned by the Tulalip Tribes of Washington. More info. “Native American Fonts and Tribal Sovereignty”, Book Club of California Quarterly, July 2018 “Aesthetic Innovation in Indigenous Typefaces: Designing a Lushootseed Font”, GLIMPSE, Issue 7 | |
Kayases | BlackfootCanadian Syllabics (all)CherokeeInuktitut | Chris Harvey | 2006 | |||
Euphemia UCAS | Canadian Syllabics (all)Inuktitut | Ross Mills | Tiro Typeworks | 2004–2018 | One of the first Canadian Syllabics fonts to be bundled with operating systems. | |
Plantagenet Cherokee | Cherokee | Ross Mills | Tiro Typeworks | 2002 | One of the first Cherokee fonts to be bundled with operating systems. | |
Uqammaq | Inuktitut | Ross Mills | Tiro Typeworks | 2002 | ||
Pigiarniq | Inuktitut | Ross Mills | Tiro Typeworks | 2001 | The official typeface of the Nunavut government. |
Indigenous Language Resources for Type Designers and Type Users
An extensive article by Kevin King on Canadian Syllabics and local typographic preferences. (See also his Google articles.)
Extensive data on Indigenous languages, orthographies, and language samples, curated by the Nations themselves.
Resources for type designers to cover the Salish languages of the Pacific Northwest
A compendium of online materials about more than 800 indigenous languages of the Western Hemisphere
More Native Designers
A directory of professionals compiled by Neebinnaukhzhik Southall, founder of the Native Graphic Design Project
More Fonts
A list of additional Canadian Syllabics fonts and Cherokee fonts, many by untrained type designers, but license free
Lectures on Native American Type Design
BIPOC Scholarships for Type Design & Lettering Education
Letterform Archive offers a BIPOC scholarship in each of its public workshops and the Type West program.