Power of typography in shaping cultures
Pathum Egodawatta
In the design world, typography, the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible and visually appealing, plays a crucial role in affecting how a message is perceived and how effectively it communicates information. It is often seen as a fundamental building block in design.
Its significance though, goes beyond aesthetics. For typeface designer and font engineer Pathum Egodawatta, typography is a craft that addresses real-world challenges, particularly in the context of language, communication and cultural identity.
Pathum’s expertise sees him as one of the panelists at ‘Script and Structure: Conference on Typography and its Cultural Relevance’ at the upcoming Sri Lanka Design Festival (SLDF) organised by the Academy of Design (AOD). The session on Saturday, November 9 will bring together experts in typography from South Asia to delve into the evolution of predominantly South Asian scripts and explore the profound cultural significance of typography and its place in shaping communities across industries.
“We have three fabulous Indian designers coming down, as well as some academics and people who have been working in this area for the past decade or so,” says Pathum. “The main focus will be on discussing the cultural relevance of typography in the context of the South Asian region and how valuable that is in building national identities and taking our culture outside of the country.”
This panel is just one of many insightful exhibitions, discussions and interactive experiences during this year’s SLDF to be held at Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams from November 7-10, where the public is invited to explore the transformative power of design, whether it is architecture, interior design, textiles or fashion.
Even before studying graphic design at the Academy of Design, one of Sri Lanka’s leading design education institutes, Pathum was always deeply interested in the role that language and letter forms played in design and how letters related to communication and design as a whole. His focus on typography grew as he explored how language played a significant role in the ethnic conflict in the country, specifically how language and language rights influenced its early stages, inspiring him to delve deeper into how design can go beyond aesthetics to provide practical solutions for problems.
After graduating from AOD, Pathum worked as a consultant for the Google Fonts project, helping expand their operations in the Indian region. In 2014, he co-founded Mooniak, a design and technology consultancy specialising in producing multi-script fonts and typography in the Sinhala, Tamil, and English languages.
Inspired by his time in England, when he was completing his Master’s degree in typeface design at the University of Reading, he co-founded the Akuru Collective, which organises events that bring together designers, linguists and scholars to discuss the intersections of language, culture, and design. These initiatives aim to build a community around typography in Sri Lanka, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange.
One example of the issues faced in a nation with multiple national languages is something as commonplace as road signage, which highlights how typefaces can create accessibility issues—Sinhala words are often shorter while Tamil equivalents are longer, leading to disparities in text size on signs with the Tamil word often appearing smaller or less readable. “If you take Jaffna, when writing the three names in English, Sinhala, and Tamil, ‘Yalpanam’ when written in Tamil script is inherently longer than ‘Yapanaya’ written in Sinhala script, so the Tamil text would be made smaller when signage is designed,” Pathum explains.
Beyond signage, product packaging also poses similar challenges. Many packages display information only in Sinhala and English, neglecting Tamil. This lack of clarity, coupled with limited resources to create inclusive designs, complicates efforts to ensure that all communities are represented.
An important part of Pathum’s philosophy is that fonts and typefaces serve as cultural infrastructure. He sees fonts as tools that not only help businesses communicate but also preserve and express cultural identity. “Fonts are cultural artefacts,” he explains. “They tell a story of their time, they attract meaning, and through careful design, we can provide practical solutions for cultural and business functionality.”
Visit https://www.srilankadesignfestival.lk/ for more details on the festival’s programme.
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