The Philippines is the home of a lot of amazing artists, many of whom are self-taught. They come up with colorful, unique, and sometimes witty signs which are used in stores, jeepneys, and even small businesses.
Inspired by the vibrant hand-painted signs found all over the country, the Department of Tourism (DOT) launched today a new font called Barabara.
The DOT made the announcement through a video on its Facebook account. It shows how Barabara was inspired by the font used by sign makers in the country, like the ones seen on jeepney signboards.
(If you think making sign boards for public vehicles is easy, think again. It requires a deft hand, as shown by this viral video.)
“Signs are more fun in the Philippines. From streets to sandy beaches handpainted in an inexact individual style. They inspired our new tourism font called Barabara,” the DOT said.
Barabara has 27 characters, including local symbols like the peso sign and the “ñ.”
The DOT described it as a “custom-made font designed to be easier to read.” It also said the font is a celebration of sign-painters from all over the Philippines.
Bara-bara literally means “any which way” in Filipino and describes the freestyle technique signmakers use for jeepney letterings. The name is also a nod to the font previously used in the DOT’s “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” campaign called Harabara.
“The team wanted to make something truly Filipino,” BBDO Guerrero Creative Director Nikki Sunga told Coconuts Manila.
Barabara can be downloaded for free from the Department of Tourism’s It’s More Fun in the Philippines website.
Will you be using the font for your creative projects? Tell us by commenting below or tweeting to @CoconutsManila.
