Chhandak Pradhan The Bengali script, used by speakers of the seventh most widely spoken language in the world, is strikingly underrepresented in digital typefaces. Monotype’s extensive collection, for example, includes only four Bengali typefaces. This scarcity contrasts with the vibrant spectrum of non-type and near-type letterforms that populate Bengal’s streets and public spaces, produced through chirography, sign painting, lettering, and engraving. These forms not only enrich everyday visual culture but also challenge the monoculture prevalent in contemporary Bengali digital typefaces.
Producers of some of these letterforms, who hold elevated social and cultural status, are celebrated. Others—such as those who create non-type and near-type letterforms for public buses and commemorative stone plaques for buildings—are often overlooked. Occupying the space between creators of Bengali letterforms and composers of text, these overlooked producers address everyday design challenges with remarkable flexibility. Their knowledge enables them to adapt content to fit available spaces while shifting styles to mediate between Bengali and other scripts in multilingual compositions.
This talk, part of an ongoing PhD project at the University of Reading, reframes these letterform producers as “makers” and asks: how can a comparative study of the variations in Bengali non-type and near-type letterforms produced by overlooked makers contribute to the development of digital typefaces?The presentation will be organised into three sections. First, it will map the spectrum of Bengali letterforms for a comparative analysis, tracing the script’s movement between tradition and transition. Second, it will explore how social, material, spatial, and temporal contexts influence these diverse letterforms. Third, it will consider how underdocumented design solutions, crafted by makers using chalks, chisels, and brushes, might broaden the visual understanding of the Bengali script and influence future approaches to type design.