In 2015, amid intense discussions about sexism and gender diversity in the type industry, a conversation among a few internet acquaintances quickly expanded into Alphabettes, a global network of over 300 women and gender diverse type designers, lettering artists, typographers, and design educators. Since then, this decentralised network has published hundreds of articles, paired emerging type designers with mentors, and hosted numerous public events and critique sessions. Committed to promoting equity, Alphabettes advocates for diversity in type design at conferences, educational institutions, and throughout the industry worldwide.
The recently published Alphabettes Soup: Feminist Approaches to Type celebrates a decade of feminist approaches to type research, design, and creative community-building. The 400-page potluck blends key articles from the Alphabettes platform with original essays, exploring intersections between culture, language, business practices, technology, and type. Conceived as a type specimen, the book showcases the work of over 250 contributors and 116 typefaces. Aimed at challenging dominant narratives in type history and contemporary practice, Alphabettes Soup seeks to inspire future generations to create their own decentralised design communities.
In this roundtable discussion, Alphabettes Soup editor Amy Papaelias will moderate a discussion with Tanya George, Sumanthri Samarawickrama, and Chani Perera on what it means to incorporate “feminist approaches to type” in design practice, research, and pedagogy, and specific implications for South Asian design communities.
Amy Papaelias (moderator) is a Professor of Graphic Design at the State University of New York at New Paltz. She has presented her work and research at the Typographics Festival, the Type Directors Club, and the Letterform Archive. She recently published Alphabettes Soup: Feminist Approaches to Type (Bikini Books, 2026).
Tanya George is an independent designer of sorts. She draws letterforms digitally for fonts and identities but also makes them out of paper and metal for her artworks. She loves leading TypeWalks grounded in typographic research and woven with local oral histories. She has written for Typographica, Fontstand News, and the Letterform Archive where she is also a global docent.
Dr Sumanthri Samarawickrama is a design educator and researcher. Her doctoral research on the anatomy and historical development of Sinhala typefaces established foundational knowledge on Sinhala typography. She is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Integrated Design at the University of Moratuwa. She has also served as Vice President of the Association Typographique Internationale (ATypI) and is the founder and Chair of the Integrated Design Research (IDR) Conference.
Chani Perera is a Sri Lankan graphic designer and design educator with 17 years of experience shaping and representing the region’s design landscape. Her career began in design and advertising at Leo Burnett, Dentsu Grant and Riot House before she expanded into design academia at the Academy of Design, Sri Lanka. She currently serves as a Creative Director at BBDO Sri Lanka.