British Standard Type, a company founded by Matt Fenton, recently launched a custom display font called “Yinka Sans.” The font is a result of a collaboration with Yinka Ilori MBE, a British-Nigerian artist and designer. Inspired by his Nigerian heritage, the font displays his signature style featuring vibrant colours and unique patterns.
Available in two versions, Ultra and Shadow, each one offers its unique personality. Ultra is bold and dazzling, while Shadow offers rich tones and playful light effects. The font intricately embodies Ilori’s cultural conversations and stories throughout his artwork, infusing every text with life, warmth, and spirit.
Ilori’s aspiration to create a unique typeface fuelled this collaboration. Fond of using general fonts in his art, he saw British Standard Type as the epitome of sans-serifs and artistic font design. Together, they produced a unique blend of artistic vision and typographic proficiency.
The alliance focused on adhering to Ilori’s demand for distinctiveness, versatility, and cohesion with his existing artwork. British Standard Type faced the challenge of creating a harmonious font in line with Ilori’s principles of inclusiveness, optimism, and playfulness, and succeeded in this endeavour.
The design process involved integrating elements from Nigerian folk art, music culture, architectural patterns, and contemporary pop culture.
British Standard Type unveils Yinka Sans font
The result is “Yinka Sans,” a typeface that vibrantly tells a story, each letter is a character and a canvas integrating African and Western aesthetics.
The variant “Yinka Sans Shadow” adds depth and dimension, reflecting Ilori’s frequent use of shadow effects in his art. This dimensionality blurs the line between two-dimensional prints and three-dimensional objects, pushing the boundaries of typographic design.
The functionality and aesthetics of “Yinka Sans Ultra” and “Shadow” are designed for large text content needing clear communication. They balance expressive design with readability, making them popular in digital and print media.
“Shadow” adds depth and an artistic nuance to the text, enhancing simple designs with a sophisticated look. Despite their size, these fonts maintain legibility, making them excellent choices for a wide range of applications. They are bound to make a statement, regardless of whether you’re in a professional business setting or designing a quirky café’s menu.
