A new generation of Nigerian graphic designers is transforming the world of typography by incorporating authentic African cultural elements into their work, drawing inspiration from everything from street market signs to public transportation aesthetics. These innovative type designers are challenging Western-dominated design standards while building a uniquely African visual language that's gaining recognition in global design conversations.
Type design has maintained a quiet but consistent presence in Nigeria's visual culture long before the digital age arrived. Hand-painted shop signs, bustling market boards, colorful danfo buses, and vibrant film posters have always featured distinctive typographic expressions that reflected regional dialects and everyday aesthetics. These vernacular letterforms, typically created by self-taught sign painters, established the foundation for a distinctly Nigerian typographic identity rooted in improvisation and storytelling.
However, these indigenous letterforms weren't widely appreciated or respected in formal design circles. Over time, they gradually found themselves overshadowed by imported Western typography, which slowly began to blur their unique identity. The good news is that a growing number of Nigerian designers are now returning to this craft, combining digital innovation with traditional sensibilities to reclaim their typographic heritage.
Chisaokwu Joboson, one of the leading figures in this movement, understands the significant challenges facing type designers in Lagos and across Africa. "There are no formal programs, limited tools, and only a few peers, which can be isolating," he explains. Despite these obstacles, Joboson has been vocal about building a community for type designers to ensure future designers won't have to start from scratch.
Joboson's journey into type design was motivated by a lack of inclusion in the design world. Initially designing for African brands, he felt frustrated that type designers like himself had to settle for Western typography that didn't fully represent their cultural identity. "Type design has a way of humbling you – it's precise, technical, and often time-demanding, but also expressive and full of discovery. For me, it's been a journey of learning, unlearning, and trying to bring a bit of African culture into a field that's historically Western," he reflects.
Joboson approaches his craft as a meaningful conversation where each letter carries deep significance, capable of capturing people's attention or evoking specific emotions. He typically begins with an idea that's both cultural and visual, then sketches and tests it digitally. His latest project, "Mekanikal Display," exemplifies this approach – it's a monospaced, industrial-inspired font rooted in African vernacular. The name comes from the local spelling of "mechanic," and its beveled cuts mimic the shape of a nut section, paying homage to workshop aesthetics. "To me, it's bold, raw, and mechanical but with a handmade spirit, supporting African languages," Joboson says.
Over the years, Joboson has established several programs and brands to advance his mission. The Ụdị Foundry serves as an independent type foundry where he creates typefaces rooted in African expression but designed for the global design space. Through his brand Studio Ansa, he blends strategic design with storytelling while helping other brands solve their design challenges. Type Afrika represents the community he built to support other creatives like himself, serving as a space for sharing knowledge and nurturing a new generation of type designers across the continent.
Currently, Joboson is working on two ambitious projects: Gidigbo and Afro Sans, which he hopes to release in 2026. Gidigbo is an expressive display font inspired by Yoruba traditional wrestling, while Afro Sans represents an Afrocentric approach to sans-serif type design. He's also expanding his existing Ojuju font with a version two that includes newly added weight and improved metrics and kerning.
Seyi Olusanya views type design through a dual lens: as a means to learn about the continent and as a way to contribute to the visual vernacular. His goal is to help designers add genuinely African types to their design vocabulary rather than relying entirely on pattern tropes or expected color schemes. "I am more interested in building out African design visual language beyond the tropes, and one of the ways I'll do that is with type design," he explains.
Olusanya studied both architecture and environmental design, taking on brand and marketing design work during school to support himself. He eventually transitioned into type design seeking something new and challenging. His creative process involves extensive research through archives, particularly sites like archivi.ng and the Nigerian Nostalgia Project. He also draws inspiration from his immediate environment: bus stops, signage, church marketing materials, and small businesses operating with capital constraints.
Olusanya's most significant contribution to the field is "Danfo," a 2018 project that draws direct inspiration from the vinyl cut-out lettering found on Lagos's iconic public buses. His second major project, "Tac," was inspired by the wordmark of Festac 77, which he developed in collaboration with Google Fonts. "Working on Danfo and Tac solidified in my mind the kind of type design I am interested in," Olusanya tells the publication.
These projects led him to establish Afrotype, aimed at building a comprehensive catalog of typefaces inspired by important events and figures in African history, as well as environmental and cultural elements. Currently, he operates Da Design Studio, which specializes in creating modern brand identity systems for Nigerian businesses and has produced impressive work for major startups across Lagos.
David James Udoh's path to type design began as a self-taught graphic designer driven by passion and ambitious dreams. His curiosity eventually led him into brand design, which provided a playground for constant typography experimentation. "I was working with type every other day, manipulating and breaking it. On many occasions, I wished certain typefaces had existed to make my work easier. Moments like that were all I needed to change the trajectory of my career," he recalls.
Udoh describes his journey as a continuous learning curve, spending months obsessed with details most people can barely notice. "That's the beauty of it," he says. "It's a meditative path that allows me to slow down and pay attention to insignificant things." His creative process typically begins with collecting photos, sketches, objects, and even sounds. From there, he starts sketching loosely, either on paper or directly in design software, without worrying about initial perfection.
Once Udoh establishes the style and direction, he enters a phase of endless refinement: testing, spacing, redrawing, and testing again. He draws inspiration from various type designers and studios, but Ohno Type stands out as his primary influence. "I absolutely love how expressive and stylistic their typefaces are. They feel alive in a way that really excites me. Their work has this energy that refuses to be boring, and that's exactly the kind of type design I'm drawn to – the kind that has personality and isn't afraid to show it," he explains.
Currently, Udoh operates an independent visual archive called Caveat Emptor, which collects and documents vernacular design culture in Nigeria. "Spending time with these signs made me realize how deeply design lives in everyday spaces and how much creativity happens outside formal training. It has shaped how I see letterforms, not just as aesthetic objects but as reflections of people's stories and ingenuity," he reflects.
Udoh's notable work "Funky Waka" exemplifies his approach – it's a funky, highly stylized serif typeface inspired by hand-painted transit and signage designs found across Lagos and Mombasa. The font captures the essence of local visual culture, infusing elements of spontaneity and dynamic, energetic letterforms into its design. He's currently developing an extended version that will include comprehensive support for Sub-Saharan African languages.
The movement represents more than just aesthetic innovation; it's a cultural reclamation project that's finding its way into global design conversations. These designers are not only preserving Nigeria's rich typographic heritage but also pushing it forward into the digital age, ensuring that African visual expression has a prominent place in contemporary design discourse. Their work demonstrates that authentic cultural expression and global relevance can coexist, creating typography that speaks both to local communities and international audiences.
