Creative Characters S6 E15: Raven Mo on chop suey fonts, multilingual type, and the myth of authenticity.

“ Authenticity is a mythical creature that looms around design research. ”

Raven Mo. 

Raven Mo header
Topic
Podcast

On Creative Characters, we meet creative people working at the intersection of type and everyday life. You can listen below, or on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and wherever quality podcasts are available.

This week, host Dan Rhatigan talks with NYC-based identity designer and type researcher Raven Mo. Raven studies cultural essentialism in typography and dives into her research on chop suey fonts—a Latin style of letterform that is meant to visually signal “Chineseness”—and why they are problematic.

Raven and Dan also discuss multilingual typography, the importance of local expertise, and why translation alone doesn’t make a design resonate.

Check out Raven’s work at ravenmo.info or follow her on Instagram @ravenmodesign. 

Enjoying the podcast? Please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

 


Listen on Apple:

Listen on Spotify:

Related Articles

Explore insights on fonts, design, and licensing.

Creative Characters S6 E14: From Rio to Barcelona: Naipe Foundry on making Brazilian-inspired type.

Naipe Foundry co-founders Felipe Casaprima and Alvaro Franca join us to talk about building a Brazilian type foundry across continents, and how deep archival research shaped their bestselling typeface, Pacaembu. Tune in now.

Learn more
Creative Characters S6 E14: From Rio to Barcelona: Naipe Foundry on making Brazilian-inspired type.

Naipe Foundry co-founders Felipe Casaprima and Alvaro Franca join us to talk about building a Brazilian type foundry across continents, and how deep archival research shaped their bestselling typeface, Pacaembu. Tune in now.

Creative Characters S6 E2: Signal Type: Crafting letters with passion and precision.

Max Phillips, founder of Signal Type, shares his journey from designing theater posters as a teen to running a type foundry in Dublin. Tune in now. 

Learn more
Creative Characters S6 E2: Signal Type: Crafting letters with passion and precision.

Max Phillips, founder of Signal Type, shares his journey from designing theater posters as a teen to running a type foundry in Dublin. Tune in now. 

Creative Characters episode featuring Magdalena Arasanz.

In this week’s episode, Magdalena Arasanz of W Type Foundry shares how curiosity, collaboration, and bold design instincts turned a love of type into a thriving creative business. Tune in now. 

 
 
Learn more
Creative Characters S6 E3: How type design changed everything for Magdalena Arasanz.

In this week’s episode, Magdalena Arasanz of W Type Foundry shares how curiosity, collaboration, and bold design instincts turned a love of type into a thriving creative business. Tune in now. 

 
 
Goodtype founder Brooke Robinson on finding your creative voice.

This week, join Ilana Griffo and Katie Johnson of Goodtype as they explore creativity and collaboration and share lessons from their book, Follow Your Art: Uncover and Unleash Your Creative Voice.

Learn more
Creative Characters S6 E4: Finding your creative voice with Goodtype.

This week, join Ilana Griffo and Katie Johnson of Goodtype as they explore creativity and collaboration and share lessons from their book, Follow Your Art: Uncover and Unleash Your Creative Voice.

Sofie Beier, legibility expert and guest on Creative Characters.

In this episode, Sofie Beier, a Professor of Design at the Royal Danish Academy, explores the science behind legibility, debunks common myths, and explains how context — not convention — shapes how we read. Tune in now.

Learn more
Creative Characters S6 E5: Sofie Beier breaks down legibility for designers.

In this episode, Sofie Beier, a Professor of Design at the Royal Danish Academy, explores the science behind legibility, debunks common myths, and explains how context — not convention — shapes how we read. Tune in now.