Typography as Culture: How Death of Typography and Morisawa Redefine Language Through Design
Photo by High There Studios
During Singapore Design Week this year, an exhibition brought together two remarkable forces in the design world: the Death of Typography collective and the renowned type foundry Morisawa. Titled “Typography as Muse — Beyond the Boundaries of Language,” the collaboration showcased pieces illuminating how typography can bridge cultures, histories, and personal identities, challenging us to see language in entirely new ways.
Centered around the power of typography as an expressive medium, the exhibition redefined the possibilities of written language, pushing us to think of type as not just text but as culture and memory embodied. Here are three standout works from the show that offered resonant perspectives on the intersection of language, identity, and design.
Fellow Design: Language as a Lens on Culture
The Fellow Design piece examined how translation can reveal layers of meaning, shifting our understanding of culture and identity. The design was inspired by the city of Bangkok — or Krung Thep, as it’s known to locals. Fellow Design’s approach explored how, in translation, names and words morph, sometimes carrying entirely different layers of significance. In this case, “Bangkok” acts almost as an alter ego for the city, an external identifier for the outside world, while “Krung Thep” embodies an intimate, deeply held identity for the people who live there.
This juxtaposition of names conveys a sense of self that is both familiar and distant, familiar to the locals and cryptic to the uninitiated. Fellow Design used typography to portray this duality, employing separate fonts and layering techniques to illustrate the split between insider and outsider perspectives. This design is a reminder of how translation isn’t just a linguistic act; it’s a cultural one, filled with interpretive challenges and revelations.
2. Fatih Rosli: Reconnecting with Roots through the Arabic Script
For Fatih Rosli, a designer of Pakistani and Malay descent, typography became a way to rediscover lost connections to him heritage. Fatih’s piece in the exhibition paired verses from two songs — one in Urdu, the other in Malay. The Urdu verse originates from Sakal Ban, a 700-year-old poem by the Sufi poet Amir Khusrau, while the Malay verse is from Zapin Telok Belangah, a song by Singaporean composer Zubir Abdullah. Together, the verses read: “In every field, mustard flowers bloom” (in Urdu) and “Whoever looks is bound to be enamored” (in Malay).
The beauty of Rosli’s design lies in its resonance. Although both Urdu and Malay can be written in Arabic script, he felt a sense of separation from his heritage languages. His grandmother speaks Urdu, yet Rosli struggles to communicate with him in that language. He also reflects on how his great-grandfather’s potential writings in Jawi — the Malay variant of the Arabic script — would be equally challenging to understand without translation help.
This design illustrates Rosli’s journey to reconnect with Arabic script, representing his heritage as a blend of histories and cultures, interwoven through the visual forms of language. For Rosli, reconnecting with the script is both a personal and spiritual pursuit, as it holds religious importance and is a medium through which he hopes to gain deeper meaning.
3. Darius Ou: Language as a Universal Connector
The final standout piece by Darius Ou dives into the combinatorial nature of written language. Ou’s piece used a collage of glyphs from Morisawa’s type catalog, strategically placed to reveal the Chinese character “语,” which means “language.” Ou’s design celebrates the power of typography to combine, reinterpret, and unify forms from different linguistic systems, demonstrating that language, in its many forms, is a global touchstone for communication and connection.
In a world of diverse writing systems, Ou’s piece served as a reminder that typography transcends spoken language. He positions the character “语” as a symbol of universal language, suggesting that written symbols and structures can bring people together across linguistic divides. Ou’s work resonates with a sense of unity, placing typography as a visual language that’s universally accessible, even in its cultural and historical specificity.
The Power of Typography in Exploring Identity
In this exhibition, typography was more than mere text; it became a vehicle for self-expression, cultural exploration, and personal rediscovery. The Death of Typography and Morisawa partnership highlighted typography as an artistic medium that goes beyond words on a page. Each of these designers used type to explore questions of translation, cultural identity, and linguistic evolution. Their works speak to the power of language — written and spoken — as both a bridge and a barrier, offering fresh perspectives on familiar words and symbols.
Stay Inspired by Emerging Leaders in Typography
If these artists’ work resonates with you, follow Death of Typography on Instagram to stay updated on their latest projects. Their work encourages us to see typography as more than a design element; it’s an ongoing dialogue between people, cultures, and history.
As these designers continue to push the boundaries of language, we’re reminded that in the world of typography, there’s always more than meets the eye.
Photo by High There Studio