Fonts for Days: Introducing Type Thursday Yerevan

New to the Armenian alphabet and language herself, Badasian presented a piece she had been working on involving the Armenian word “tuyn” (թույն), which means “poison” and, more colloquially, “cool.” She shared images of her beginning sketches, and described her process in designing the graphic, revealing the final piece’s neon yellow, orange, and salmon color scheme to be loosely inspired by colors of poison in history.

During her feedback session, one participant asked if she had considered making a font out of her “tuyn” graphic. Here again we were reminded of the challenge that lies in creating fonts — you are tasked with solving a puzzle, coming up with a system in which every letter fits together no matter what you write.

Badasian’s “tuyn” graphic served as a great example of how creating type with the letters of the Armenian alphabet presents its own unique set of challenges while highlighting the ever-changing nature of letterforms. The Armenian letter “թ” is typically written or rendered larger and taller than most other letters. In recent years, however, the letter has experienced a shift of sorts as fonts and letterforms opt for a smaller, more Latinized “թ” that fits more easily with the other letters. According to Jihanian, who had lots to say during Badasian’s presentation, this tendency to Latinize letters was becoming a trend.

During Jihanian’s presentation, the audience was able to recognize the painstaking work that goes into creating a cohesive type font. Each Type Thursday chapter, apart from their unifying mission, utilizes the same signature font (which you’ll notice on the stickers photographed above). Having dedicated his life to type with Armenian letters, it seemed only fitting that Jihanian create the Armenian version of this signature font.

This isn’t Jihanian’s first time working with Armenian fonts. He is credited with helping to revamp TypeTogether’s Adelle Sans Armenian font, which “provides a clean and spirited take on the traditional grotesque sans for Armenian audiences.” During his presentation, Jihanian expressed that often, it’s too easy to default to Latin fonts and typefaces because there simply aren’t enough Armenian fonts in existence. For this reason, he continues to focus his efforts on revitalizing the Armenian language both in Armenia and for the global Diaspora community.

As a member of the diaspora who had never interacted with her father’s native language, I moved to Armenia with a mission to learn the Armenian language and alphabet. I recognized this skill as a step towards preserving my heritage while being offered the opportunity to interact more deeply with my culture. Though it no longer intimidates me like it once did, the Armenian alphabet remains as beautiful as ever to me. Falling in love with this alphabet has begotten a deeper love for its language, and thus its — my — culture.

In creating a space for the Armenian design community, Type Thursday Yerevan not only elevates that community, it elevates the Armenian language and culture while encouraging design-oriented thought. The event sets parameters for typography that are at once clear and flexible, facilitating a creative and thoughtful consciousness in regards to the artform.

What I love most, though, is its accessibility, especially to those of us who aren’t graphic designers or typographers. After all, in most cases it will be the regular person who will interact with these designs in the real world, whether it be using a particular font to type something, buying a product based on the appearance of its branding, or simply reading a sign on the street.

Yerevan may be a small city, but it’s got lots of talent in many mediums. So why is that we mostly hear about growth and innovation in areas like the tech industry? As successful companies like PicsArt bring Armenia into global consciousness and organizations like ONEArmenia and HIKEArmenia create platforms for experiential tourism and the country’s burgeoning hiking culture, so too should design have its place. Here is an opportunity to grow and elevate Armenia’s design community while encouraging economic growth for the country. With all the challenges that Armenia has faced and continues to face, we must continue to build its economy.

With its seed money used up and its first event a success, Type Thursday Yerevan is faced with a new challenge – finding funding. The chapter is currently looking for a space to sponsor its monthly events as well as potential partners in food and drink. If they can secure this, Type Thursday Yerevan will not only survive, but thrive. The next Type Thursday Yerevan event will be October 7 at 8 p.m. Here’s hoping there will be many more events to come!