Artist and designer Yinka Ilori has recently partnered with British Standard Type (BST) to create a unique custom display typeface. The new designs, nicknamed Yinka Sans Ultra and Yinka Sans Shadow, perfectly exhibit the designer’s unique commitment to diversity and positivity.
This collaboration is a celebration of BST’s capacity to evolve and bring new ideas to life by combining digital typography with traditional artistry. This partnership demonstrates BST’s commitment to dynamic design and creative expansion in more ways than one.
Yinka’s unique use of typography formed the foundation for this partnership. Yinka’s vision was to transform his art into distinct, colorful typefaces, a vision that BST Creative Director, Matthew Fenton, fully supported.
Through this partnership, Yinka was able to create unique, dynamic typefaces that ultimately blend art with practical typography.
Yinka Ilori and BST’s artistic typography collaboration
His unique approach, combined with BST’s expertise, resulted in a harmonious blend of artistic expression and functional design.
In addition, BST developed an original typeface that seamlessly blended with Yinka’s specific visual style. Yinka applauded BST’s transition from stark sans-serifs towards more lively, fun, and rounded fonts.
The collaborative endeavor incorporated various elements like music culture, architecture, Nigerian dialects, and contemporary popular culture into the typeface design. The font reflects Yinka’s personality and tells a story of diversity and joy.
The intricacies of the Sans Ultra and Sans Shadow fonts are reflected through a delicate mix of exterior and interior forms. In fact, the creation of two versions of the same font was inspired by Yinka’s previous use of shadow effects, adding a unique twist to his designs.
BST believes that the Yinka Sans will be pivotal in Yinka’s multi-faceted practice and will aid his continuous efforts to challenge creative norms. The custom font embodies his creative direction, and he’s expressed excitement about the new typeface.
