Protest, Typography, and the Fight for Justice – Tré Seals on a practice rooted in purpose

Tré Seals is a Washington-based designer and the founder of Vocal Type, a type foundry where each typeface highlights a piece of history from a specific underrepresented race, ethnicity or gender. Speaking about Seals’ practice, D&AD President Naresh Ramchandani said, “He’s a fantastic example of what happens when you put purpose at the centre of your work.”

Seals joined D&AD as part of our 'Dinner With' series, talking us through his career from the ‘starter’ that got him intro the industry, to the ‘main’ course that defines his career, and looking ahead to what a ‘next meal’ might look like. He also took questions from viewers about his practice, talking through his research process.

Research might start off with looking into a movement, then looking up some key events from that movement, searching through images to identify pieces of typography that multiple people show a connection with. “That’s one thing you might notice with my work,” says Seals, “because it reinforces this idea of unity.”

Hear Seals talk about his research methods, early career and advice for emerging and aspiring designers in the re-play.

Watch more creatives who have previously joined D&AD President Naresh Ramchandani for a chat and learn about their careers and practice.