Typefaces are not solely tools for communication and diversifying the way information is presented; they are also components of culture, deeply immersed in social imaginaries. They reflect the values, histories, and aesthetic sensibilities of their designers, all of whom are products of their own respective environments. This presentation explores how cultural backgrounds can influence aesthetic preferences and a predisposition for certain letterforms—through the study of calligraphic and handwritten traditions and the transition from pen to printing, it aims to uncover how collective beliefs, visual conventions, and historical narratives shape the way both designers and readers conceive of, and perceive, letterforms.

Sahar Afshar is a British Iranian Partner & Designer at Dogray—a type foundry based in South London. She holds a PhD in Printing History from Birmingham City University, and is part of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Printing History and Culture in Birmingham, and the Type Directors Club in New York. She divides her time between her practice as a type designer with over a decade of experience in working on various retail and custom fonts, and her research—investigating the technological, cultural, and political dimensions of typography and printing, and how these facets converge through various historical contexts. She is the Lead Instructor for Type West Online, helping students expand their creative potential to make their own typefaces from anywhere in the world