Display typefaces based
on the rich living folk and indigenous craft tradition of South Asia and beyond

This film traces the significance and meaning of tattoos to the Baiga tribe in Central India, that is being practiced since ancient times—as has been archeologically proven through the discovery of similar symbols found on Palaeolithic and Chalcolithic cave walls. However, as the application and knowledge of permanent tattoos quickly start to vanish (even within the Baadi tattooist tribe) in less than a generation, The Typecraft Initiative explores the question whether value could be created through its transformation into a typeface that not only might engender literacy and pride within the community but, could also be made into a living repository of tribal knowledge. The typeface has embedded inside it tattoo motifs that are revealed if the user types certain words or phrases—that are important to the tribe. Words such as kumni or the fish-trap, used to catch freshwater fish, an essential source of protein (in ancient diets) as well as in the diet of the Baigas. Another tattoo—bakkhar or ploughshare used in agriculture once the Baigas moved from hunter-gatherers to food producers will also reveal itself if the keywords, "bakkhar" or "agriculture" are typed.

At The DesignIndia Show 2025, themed EMPOWER, we celebrated voices shaping the future of design, culture, and heritage. In his keynote, Ishan Khosla - graphic and type designer, researcher, and founder of The Typecraft Initiative - shared how design can empower indigenous communities by transforming folk and tribal artforms such as embroideries, tattoos, and wall paintings into digital typefaces that carry forward embedded knowledge. Holding an MFA in Design from the School of Visual Arts, NYC, Ishan’s practice has investigated the intersections of craft, cultural heritage, material culture, ecology, caste politics, and the informal economy in the Global South. His work has been exhibited at the London Design Biennial, Atelier Muji Ginza, and is part of collections at SFMOMA, Letterform Archive, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, and Powerhouse Museum. Through Typecraft, Ishan has continued to expand the possibilities of type design as a tool for cultural preservation, collaboration, and empowerment. At TDS 2025, Ishan shared his journey and showed how typography can be a vessel for culture and identity - rooted in craft yet resonating in the digital age. Register for India’s Best Design Awards 2026: https://ibda.design-india.com/ibda-interested-participants/

This video showcases the names of some of the prominent Baiga tribal tattoos rendered in a typeface that is made from the very tattoos made in collaboration of the Badnin tattooist women. The letters zoom in tto reveal a tattoo icon then zoom out to show the name of that particular tattoo motif in the Baiga tribal tattoo font.

Kal is the word for tomorrow and yesterday is the same in Hindi. Making elaborate patterns and shapes on the body has an ancient history. There is a universal desire to etch marks on skin, on animals, and on objects to identify, worship, or simply beautify. This phenomenon is not limited to skin, but also to clothing and everyday objects. In India, the craft of making and designing embellishments has a long syncretic relationship. However, Indian crafts are in a state of decline and many have disappeared. The typecraft initiative develops and displays typefaces based on handmade Indian crafts and tribal arts. This initiative began as a way to give new meaning and context to these crafts and the people who make them. Unlike most type foundries, their goal is not just to make a typeface, but to ensure it’s multifaceted. This includes encouraging craftspeople to use design thinking methodologies while engaging with type. The use of type becomes essential in this process as it is new to the craft-making landscape. This creates an atmosphere of experimentation and exploration that enables craftspeople to think in new ways. The making of a typeface also promotes literacy amongst craft communities, as it emphasizes the importance of letters and words as a potential source of income. Visual communication students use typecraft as a way to engage with their own cultural heritage through design. Students are encouraged to forgo digital tools and hand construct craft forms as a way to unpack its lexicon, to then repack those forms into letterforms in both Latin and Indic scripts. Ishan Khosla sees this exchange as the start of what is possible in contemporary Indian type design, pedagogy, and craft. Khosla would like to emphasize that this project is unprecedented in that an ancient system of tattoos, and other crafts, has been converted into functional digital display typefaces. These typefaces should not be solely viewed in the same light as other typefaces, but instead, as cultural artifacts that have embedded symbolism for hundreds, if not thousands of years. It is also important to consider the value the process of making the letters has on the craft community—from exposure to design and design thinking to literacy. Design students also benefit from this process as they learn about the tactile nature of craft and how to form it into a letterform that provides great value from a localized context. Presentation by Ishan Khosla followed by Q&A led by moderator Dina Benbrahim. *** Ishan Khosla is a designer with a master’s degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Khosla is the founding partner of the typecraft initiative, which develops typefaces from tribal arts and folk crafts. Khosla has led various talks for Typo Berlin, Semi-Permanent, and Typo Day. His work is published in Typographic Universe, Found Type, and India Contemporary Design, to list a few. Khosla’s exhibitions include “Handcraft For The Digital,” type design from India at Atelier Muji Ginza in Tokyo.

This paper was presented during the online conference on Typography Day 2022 hosted by IDC School of Design (IDC), Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), Mumbai. This paper examines the work started a couple of years ago to make a teaching aid for primary school teachers using Hindi letters that are embedded with images that relate to the sound of the letter itself, made from Mithila folk art. More details at: https://www.typoday.in/2022/speakers.html Write to us at dsource.in@gmail.com

Typing the name of the Baiga tattoo in Gondi or English reveals the corresponding icon, if discretionary ligatures are turned on.

Ishan Khosla: The Politics of Type Design from the Global South Born in Fort Kochi, India in 1976, Ishan Khosla is a Dehradun-based visual artist, designer, educator, and researcher. With a unique blend of coding, digital technology, and traditional visual arts, Ishan crafts powerful narratives that challenge the status quo.The Typecraft Initiative: Ishan's groundbreaking project, The Typecraft Initiative (Trust), launched in 2011-12, redefines design by creating typefaces inspired by tribal art and craft. More than just an artistic endeavor, Typecraft serves as a socio-political platform that amplifies the voices of religious minorities, tribes, subordinate castes, and women. Through this work, Ishan confronts issues of inequity, colonization, patriarchy, and power structures, while also breathing new life into traditional crafts for today’s audiences.

Episode 4. The interview with Ishan Khosla – South Asian visual artist, a practicing designer for over 22 years, a partner of The Typecraft Initiative, and our guest at Typography workshop 2022 Ishan Khosla: https://www.ishankhosla.com PJAIT: youtube.com/@TVPjwstk https://www.instagram.com/polskojaponska/ NeMA: youtube.com/@pjaitnema https://www.instagram.com/pjait_nema/ Made by: Ivan Tsimchishyn, Dmitry Pisarchik 2022 #typography #workshop #PJAIT #NeMA #interview #education #studies #pjaitnema #study #graphicdesign #exhibition #poster #technology #workshopweek #editorial #pjatk #polskojaponska #instaartist #instadesign #creative #study #academy #typo #typography #typecraft #indiatypography