"Contrary to what might be known, type design has always had a quiet but steady presence in Nigeria's visual culture. Long before digital fonts and design software, lettering thrived on the country's streets: hand-painted shop signs, market boards, danfo buses, and film posters all carried unique typographic expressions that reflected regional dialects and everyday aesthetics. These vernacular letterforms, often created by self-taught sign painters, formed the foundation of a distinctly Nigerian typographic identity, one rooted in improvisation, and storytelling."
"Chisaokwu Joboson understands there is a lack of infrastructure for type designers in Lagos and Africa at large. There are no formal programmes, limited tools and only a few peers, which he says can be isolating. But he has also been vocal about building a community for type designers, so future designers wouldn't have to start from scratch. Chisaokwu's pivot into type design was propelled by lack of inclusion."
"However, the good news is a growing number of Nigerian designers are returning to the craft, building on both digital innovation and traditional sensibilities. These type designers are experimenting with indigenous scripts to craft fonts inspired by street typography, and they are even redefining what Nigerian type can look like. And the beautiful thing is, this is finding its way into global design conversations."
Vernacular lettering from hand-painted shop signs, market boards, danfo buses, and film posters established a Nigerian typographic foundation rooted in improvisation and storytelling. Imported Western forms gradually blurred that identity, reducing appreciation for local letterforms. A growing cohort of Nigerian type designers is reclaiming and redefining typographic practice by combining digital tools with traditional sensibilities and by experimenting with indigenous scripts and street-inspired fonts. Progress is reaching international design conversations, but practical barriers remain: there are no formal programmes, limited tools, and few peers in Lagos and across Africa, prompting community-building efforts to support emerging type designers.
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