AAPI Viet Sans

AAPI Viet Sans is a sans serif typeface designed with the idea of increasing representation of minority groups. In this typeface I specifically focused on Vietnamese type due to the vast array of diacritics present within the language and the lack of typefaces that support it. My inspiration for the look and feel of the typeface came from transit and highway signage within Ho Chi Minh City in Viet Nam. I created this typeface with the intention of creating a bold visible type that was attractive enough to be used for titling and decided that road signage would be a great place to start. It also reflected the geometric and sans serif feel that I desired. When it came to the diacritics, I looked at works from Vietnamese typographers and foundries that had Vietnamese works and found a few key elements to add personality and identity to the font. The font was weighted differently horizontally versus vertically and I wanted my diacritics to share that same weight distribution while also keeping their geometric feeling.