“Shantell Martin is a visual artist and muralist with a signature black and white style of drawing, weaving abstract linework with faces, figures, and letters. In 2020, Martin commissioned Arrow Type, an independent foundry helmed by Stephen Nixon, to create a custom font based on her handwriting. This typeface was designed with the stylistic core of a multi-weight, all-purpose marker font but was also given experimental variable axes to add in “Irregularity” and “Bounciness” as inspired by the free placement of letters within Martin’s artwork. This new type family, Shantell Sans, is being released under an open-source license (OFL 1.1) to encourage anyone to explore the creative possibilities it offers. This presentation will open with Martin sharing her background in art and design and discussing why she chose to commission a custom typeface. Nixon will provide a more technical explanation of the design and technical processes of making Shantell Sans. Martin and Nixon will conclude with a quick update on the project’s current status, including details on where people can learn more and download the fonts.”
The Making of Shantell Sans, a Custom Typeface for Visual Artist Shantell Martin
Shantell Martin
A fashion and design icon in her own right, Shantell Martin has collaborated with iconic brands such as Nike, Vitra, Max Mara, Tiffany & Co., and Puma, which, in 2018, launched a global capsule collection featuring her drawings. Martin has also collaborated with legendary creatives such as Pulitzer Prize-winning performance artist Kendrick Lamar and acclaimed designer Kelly Wearstler. In another 2018 project of note, Martin was asked to work with the prestigious New York City Ballet, where she created large-scale drawings in the performance hall and foyer of the Lincoln Center for the company’s celebrated Art Series. Martin has been an adjunct professor at NYU Tisch ITP (Interactive Telecommunications Program), where she worked with her students to push the boundaries of storytelling, visual art, and technology. She has also been a visiting scholar at MIT Media Lab and a fellow at the Brown Institute for Media Innovation, Columbia University.
Stephen Nixon
Stephen Nixon works as Arrow Type in Brooklyn, New York. He is currently creating fonts for modern typography, exploring the creative possibilities of new technology, and helping other designers and foundries with type production and engineering. Nixon holds an MA in Type Design from KABK TypeMedia in The Hague, The Netherlands, where he was part of the class of 2018. Before his studies at KABK, Nixon worked as a brand experience and software product designer at IBM and studied graphic design at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He is passionate about exploring type and web technology and sharing knowledge with others through writing, open-source projects, and teaching, both as a volunteer for Code Nation and directly on a freelance basis.