On February 24, 2022, MODA hosted an immersive conversation with Tré Seals, founder of Vocal Type Co., who creates typefaces rooted in historical protest movements. Tré was joined by designer, strategist, and podcaster Maurice Cherry, founder of the podcast Revision Path.

In order to design new typefaces, Tré looks for pivotal moments in history in which graphic design played a significant role — like the I AM A MAN posters that Memphis sanitation workers carried in a 1968 strike — and adapts the lettering for his typefaces.

In this talk, Seals shared the story behind Martin, Seal's nonviolent font inspired by remnants of the Memphis Sanitation Strike of 1968, as well as how his other typefaces highlight a piece of history from a specific underrepresented race, ethnicity, or gender—from the Women’s Suffrage Movement in Argentina to the Civil Rights Movement in America.

About Design Justice Talks & Events at MODA

• How can designers help create a just and equitable world?

• How has design been used to create inequities in the past?

• What can we, as a community, do about those issues now?

These are critical questions that the MODA community asks and addresses in Design Justice talks and events. Through engagement and authentic discourse with thought leaders and design practitioners, we can demonstrate the power of design to imagine and create a better world. Join us!