Nok

Loopless Lao Typeface

In Lao culture, many people are solely referred to by their nicknames. Nicknames can often be simple adjectives, or often times they are animals. Nok in Lao means “bird,” and this Lao typeface initially was inspired by the nicknames of my family members, which happen to be birds — one aunt is nicknamed ນົກ [nok], another aunt is nicknamed ເປັດ [bet] — duck, and my mother is nicknamed ໄກ່ [gai] — chicken. To stylistically symbolize birds in this typeface, a beak-like shape is in place of the loops.

After a couple of iterations, the typeface evolved to have thick-and-thin strokes. Combine with the beak-like elements, the typeface reflects the script being written with a brush.