Burkina Gothic, 2009
TYPE DESIGN BASED ON ARTIFACTS FROM BURKINA FASO

a #rejectedbutloved proposal




A #rejectedbutloved exploration from the design I did for Burkina Electric’s album Paspanga.
The alphabet is inspired by mid-20th century iron currencies and other sculptures from the Lobi tribe of Burkina Faso. The band wanted to appear more modern, understandably, and they felt this design was a bit too rough. I have some reservations showing this myself, mostly because the history of western graphic design and art stealing from the art of the African continent, and making a lot of money off of what are essentially bootlegs of their cultural traditions are long and very contentious. I explored this notion in the YARDY WORLD branding. To emulate the organic quality in the forms, I drew it very quickly, much more quickly than these sculptures were made. I don’t want to give the impression that I think the Lobi’s visual culture is crude or unsophisticed. Quite the oppostie. I kept it here because it was an honest expression of my own curiousity, rooted in a desire to veneration of the Lobi Tribe’s visual culture. 

Rejected design proposal the study was initially created for Iron currency used by the lobi tribe of burkina faso which informed the type design wooden sculpture from the lobi tribe of burkina faso which informed the type design

Many years later I revisited this alphabet when artist Jake Brush approached me to make the title for his show The Multiple Murders of Lady Gilgo. For this I created a lighter version by using the stroke of the original alphabet.




3D effects were applied to the outlined letter-forms to integrate them into the weird world of Jake Brush’s video art. They were also used as window decals for the exhibition.

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