Thaipface

NYC & Chiang Mai 2022

Through typographic form and motion design, Thaipface is a virtual sketchbook run by seven overseas Thai creatives exploring their relationship with the motherland through the lens of design.

The name Thaipface reflects this collective’s light hearted attitude towards Thai typography; it is a play on words between Thai and Typeface.

A key aspect of the project is decoding and encoding feelings and attitudes of a character in addition to their literal meaning. Thaipface liberally celebrates type as image. For example, ฃ, read as Kor-Kuad directly translates to “a bottle.” To the team, the letter itself, however, connotes a hidden sense of defiance. As a solution, they drew ฃ with rounded edges and a self-assured curved body. When in motion, the letter blurs into tiny sharp pixelated squares. This design is then used to open up a conversation about Thailand’s censorship law.

@thaipface for more




Thaipface Phase 01

Unlike the Roman alphabet, each Thai character connotes a distinctive meaning, from a chicken (ก, which is the first letter, it is read as kor kai, kai meaning chicken) to a man-eating giant (ย, read as yor yak, yak meaning giant). In phase one, Thaipface celebrates this very uniqueness by reimagining each letterform (44 letters in total) based on their essence in today’s context.





Thaipface Phase 02

Reimaging the local tongue, the puns and the swear words based on their essence in today’s cultural climate.




Commissioned: Yai Nin

YAI NIN is a documentary short film about Ninlawan Pinyo, a Thai businesswoman whose success making naem (pork sausage) propelled her family to America. We partnered with Yai Nin to create a series of animated type explorations of the Thai language in their film.

More info at www.yainindoc.com/thaipface


We partnered with Thaipface

Chiang Mai Design Week 2020

Thaipface hosted their very first typography based design exhibition with Chiang Mai Design Week starting from the 5th of December to the 13th at the Greenies and Co building. The event included a gallery opening reception on Sunday the 6th with catering and drinks from Nuan Tong, The Charm of Thai Cuisine and a live performance from DJ Siam. The exhibition’s main goal is to celebrate Thai alphabet as much as honoring playfulness as design tools.




Commissioned: Where I’m Coming From

Where I’m Coming From is a month-long digital programme dedicated to languages that are present and spoken by migrant communities in the UK. The programme aims to open up conversations around the exclusivity of language in accessing the production and consumption of arts and culture, alongside considering the wider cultural presence of underrepresented artists and groups in international art debates. www.inventoryplatform.org

ชาติ ศาสน์ กษัตริย์

In this forever connected world of the web, ideas, symbols, and identity transcend borders. Will ชาติ ศาสน์ กษัตริย์ still hold the same meaning and power as it once had? Does it need to? Should everyone be a nationalist? Who and what are we trying to fight against for national security?

Thailand’s national flag comprises five horizontal stripes in red, white, and blue. The red stripes symbolize our bid to maintain independence; the nation. The white stands for purity and Buddhism; our moral code. Blue is for HM the King; our heart. Though these definitions were taught to us in school, the true comprehension of the meanings only comes when experienced and in context.

Our flag may stand for nation-religion-king in definition, but in today’s open world, their connotations are forever interactive, dynamic and decentralized in meanings. Growing up, what have you been told about your nation, religion and king? 



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