283: Indigenous Type Perspectives with Leo Vicenti
- Diana Varma
- 13 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Welcome back - I’m so glad you’re here.
This is the first episode in a 3-part guest lecture series, speaking with a diverse range of design and typography pros from across North America!
This episode features type designer and educator, Leo Vicenti.
Leo is an Assistant Professor of Communication Design at Emily Carr University of Art + Design in Vancouver whose research approaches indigenous language preservation, revitalization, and the return of these languages to everyday use through typography and representation in the design field. He maintains practice-based research in exhibition design alongside his creative pursuits in visual communication design.
In this conversation, you’ll hear about Leo’s work with Typotheque’s North American Indigenous Type project supporting language tools, data, software, and systems of type. Leo shares how he builds connections within Indigenous communities, and specifically how he’s worked with the Squamish nation.
You’ll hear how Leo believes typography can support Indigenous language and culture, the ways in which typography isn’t always necessary, Indigenization of digital spaces, and why fixed systems don’t necessarily work (Unicode, for example).
This episode was recorded as part of a guest lecture series in GCM 230 - Typography in fall 2025 at The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Let’s listen in…
About Our Guest:
Assistant Professor and Type Designer, Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Leo Vicenti (Jicarilla Apache) is an Assistant Professor of Communication Design at Emily Carr University of Art + Design. He holds an MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) in Visual Communication Design and a BA in Graphic Design from Fort Lewis College (FLC). His current research approaches indigenous language preservation, revitalization, and the return of these languages to everyday use through the development of language support in typography and representation in the design field. He maintains practice-based research in exhibition design alongside his creative pursuits in visual communication design.
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Music:
Bubbles ( Lofi , Bright , Relaxed ) by HoliznaCC0 is licensed under a CC0 1.0 Universal License.
Talk Paper Scissors Theme Music: Retro Quirky Upbeat Funk by Lewis Sound Production via Audio Jungle
