Amakan
Tunera · Jad Maza · 2022
A Filipino typeface by Jad Maza that translates the woven diagonal and diamond motifs of split-bamboo amakan mats into three distinct typographic styles on a square grid.
About
Designed by Jad Maza of Iloilo, Philippines, the typeface began as a 36 Days of Type entry in 2022 and has since grown into a functional font of 66 glyphs per style. The three styles, Sheet, Strips and Stripes, each interpret the same letterforms differently: Sheet fills the full glyph area, Strips constructs characters from horizontal strands and Stripes fills negative space with vertical lines. Contextual alternates cycle the weave direction, while a reverse stylistic set and blank-space set extend its compositional possibilities.
Classification
A monospaced display typeface built on a square grid, with letterforms derived from the geometric weave patterns of split-bamboo mats rather than conventional calligraphic or typographic traditions.