Illuminating the Indigenous Soul
Award: Shortlist
Shortlist / Typography / Integrated / 2021
The Ainu are an indigenous people, today living mainly in the north of Japan. Long-standing prejudice has put their culture in danger of extinction. Since their language has no written form, The Foundation for Ainu Culture combined traditional, inherited Ainu motifs and sounds with modern typography to create a beautiful Ainu font. The goal was to transform prejudice against them into admiration and respect. The font appeared everywhere: on trains, TV, social media, and more. The sounds and motifs of Ainu culture transformed prejudice into admiration, and drove positive attitudes toward Ainu culture to all-time highs.
