Typography meets culture: a look at hand illustrated typography in urban and rural landscapes of Ghana
Ida Kumoji-Ankrah
Eastern Kentucky University, USA
: J Comput Eng Inf Technol
Abstract
Language is powerful, whether spoken or written. It inspires and acknowledges people in their societies. Hand illustrated typography has constituted a visible presence in African culture, a popular avenue for projecting wisdom, values and belief systems. Apart from expressing folk wisdom and thoughts, these letterforms represent credible means for gaining access into the beliefs, worldview, thought patterns and ideologies of its people. Looking at hand illustrated typography in urban and rural landscapes of Ghana, this paper, will explore how the language and its cultural surroundings have influenced design choices in typography. Furthermore, it will visually analyze the cultural significance of letter forms, exploring a variety of images that features examples of hand illustrated typography in Ghana. This paper will show a way of life and a form of communication which has, overtime acquired artistic dimensions as artifacts and become a distinct form of public dialogue between the people and their environment. Recent Publication 1. Ida Kumoji- Ankrah and Christopher Jackson (2012), Fundamentals of Graphic Design, Sentia Publishing, Austin, TX. 2. Ida Kumoji- Ankrah (2012), Keep Delete: Turning Messages into Keepsakes, ed., Andrea Wilkinson, Create Space Independent Publishing Platform pp.70- 71 3. Ida Kumoji- Ankrah (2012), “Art in Africa”, (re) tracing Africa: A Multi-disciplinary Study of African History, Societies, and Cultures, pp.129 -152, Salome Nnoromele and Ogechi Anyawu, eds., Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company. 4. Ida Kumoji- Ankrah (2011), “Kente Cloth – An Art Form in Transition into the Twenty-first Century” Notes and Records: The International Journal of African and African Diaspora Studies Volume 1, Number 1, pp.43- 56, Goldline and Jacobs Publishing.
Biography
Ida Kumoji-Ankrah is a Professor of Graphic Design and Department Chair of Art and Design at Eastern Kentucky University. As an educator, designer, artist and administrator, her work explores topics based on: Cross Cultural design, African Art & Symbols, African textile design, and African oral/ digital storytelling. She earned her BA in Fine Arts from St. Catherine University, and MFA in Graphic Design from University of Minnesota. She has research publications in books, journals, and magazines and presented at various conferences. She is also actively engaged in exhibiting her work in galleries and museums and working with clients on commissioned design projects. To date, she has been in over 90 juried and invitational exhibitions nationally and internationally. She also, has her work in public and private collections, such as Women’s center (University of Minnesota), St. Catherine University, National Institution of Museum of Tetovo, and the Vignelli Centre for Design Studies at RIT.
E-mail: ida.kumoji@eku.edu
