Google Fonts adds 2 typefaces—created by a Nigerian and a Zimbabwean designer—to its catalogue
"Ojuju" by Chisaokwu Joboson, a Nigerian-based brand and type designer, and "Madimi" by Taurai Valerie Mtake, a Zimbabwean visual communicator and type designer are the latest addition to Google Fonts
As part of its latest addition to its robust catalogue of open-source fonts, Google Fonts has added two typefaces, made by a Nigerian designer and a Zimbabwean designer, to its catalogue.
Ojuju, a san-serif typeface of an afro-grotesque style, created by Chisaokwu Joboson, a Nigerian-based brand and type designer, and Madimi, a rounded-sans with a mixed geometric and organic design, created by Taurai Valerie Mtake, a Zimbabwean visual communicator and type designer, are part of Google Fonts’ latest addition to its catalogue.
Ojuju Typeface by Chisaokwu Joboson
Rooted in the eye cuttings on the masks of African masquerades, the Ojuju typeface is distinct with varying apertures as it moves from extra-light to bold. With 7 weights, 1000+ glyphs, and support for 874 languages, the Ojuju typeface draws inspiration from various African-spirited dancers.
“I’ve always been fascinated by masquerades growing up. Have a lot of memories of them whenever I think of home. Their multifaceted identities, swift movements, fiery looks, and the intriguing stories of how they came to be,” Joboson, the founder of Lagos-based independent type foundry - Ụdị Foundry, wrote in a social media post announcing the release of the typeface on Google Font. “It was a no-brainer when Dave Crossland and Thomas Phinney reached out to me (all thanks to Simon Charwey) to design an open-source typeface of African essence that ‘Ojuju’ would be the one.”
“Ojuju, the typeface, is like a Masquerade. It’s a reverse contrast variable font designed by me under the direct supervision and design guidance of Mirko Velimirovic,” he added.
“I put a lot of time and energy into this project along with the amazing people at Google Fonts, and I hope you enjoy using it as much as we enjoyed creating it,” Joboson shared.
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Madimi Typeface by Taurai Valerie Mtake
Mtake’s Madimi typeface takes inspiration from the gently curved geometry of certain Southern Afrikan graphic symbols. Circles are a main feature, the circle being a shape that represents the womb of a woman in KiNtu symbologies.
“As a graphic designer, I am concerned with how ‘zvinyorwa zvezviratidzo zvevanhu’ (Nguni writing symbols) of Southern Afrika have become a staged authenticity instead of a real cultural practice,” Mtake, the Zimbabwe-born type designer based in Sweden, wrote.
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“The idea behind this typeface is to act as a sort of subtle visual subtext of Afrikan visual traditions, like the curved lines of a lusona drawing, which is hoped to distinguish it from standard typefaces of the Latin alphabet, as we move towards greater incorporation of indigenous writing and graphic systems in our design texts.”
The Madimi typeface includes all uppercase, lowercase, and numerical glyphs, and is available in 458 languages.
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