Monika Marek-Łucka 2025 was a particular year for the Poles. Iga Świątek won Wimbledon and Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski joined the International Space Station with three other Axiom-4 mission members. To my astonishment, the typography behind those unquestionable achievements told a different story. Adding the name to the Wimbledon Winners’ Board in gold-gilded lettering revealed the lack of diacritics. As a result, the proper and full sound of the tennis player’s name was distorted. Since it was hand lettering, there seems to be no excuse for such an omission. On the other hand, the badges on the spacesuit of the Polish astronaut had two designs — sometimes the name was spelled with Polish diacritics, and sometimes solely in basic Latin script, again distorting the name. Was this inconsistency just a result of laziness, carelessness, or simple ignorance?As an academic, I introduce students to the topic of the postcolonial turn in typography. We talk extensively about the variety of scripts, the cultural coexistence of different writing systems, but also about the history of cultural oppression and the role of empathy. We always reach the conclusion that contemporary technological means allow not only for the typographic representation of less-often spoken languages, but also — and more importantly — for introducing higher standards of communication in a globally connected society. Typography is the visible voice. Whenever grand institutions wish to celebrate and honour a winner, typographic choices should be made to respect the full cultural background — including the proper sound of the name. Sometimes this simply comes down to selecting a typeface that supports the languages of the people involved in a particular event or project. It can mean acting one step behind, or thinking one step ahead.
The community of typographers — and I cannot imagine a better audience than the ATypI conference participants — should pinpoint such malpractices and stand for making high typographic standards the norm. At the same time, we must demand from global institutions — often indifferent to typography — the recognition that typography expresses identity. To truly honour a key figure in any field, institutions must also respect the typographic and cultural heritage of the person they celebrate.