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Damien Chong

@damdammiedames

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Typeface and Graphic Resign
MATD '22 – '23
@irregular.form

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Growing up in India, I’ve always watched people idolise the “western” world without ever holding it accountable for how it exploited the “eastern” one. Colonial racism lives on in the language we use in our everyday, and the terms we lean on in type design are no exception to it.

I’m sitting down with Damien Chong, a multi-script type designer and researcher from Singapore, to dig into where these terms came from and the racist political machinery behind them in colonial Singapore and India.

Sat, 22 August
2pm Delhi · 4:30pm Singapore
Google Meets, free RSVP, link in bio.

#typedesign #typography #decolonisedesign #deaignevents #designtalks by @damdammiedames

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2 months ago

I'll be selling some prints with @r33l.friends at Illustration Arts Fair this weekend! These prints are 2 typefaces I've been working on that form part of a family of sorts; but I'll let the illustrations (done by the incredibly talented @fraunfraun) tell the story.

The sale of these prints will help fund the production and engineering of the typefaces as part of my 'formalised' type practice at @generalusetype.

The prints are available in a set of 4 (Moe or Joe) and are riso printed (thank you @throughtheroof_arts) on Colorplan 140gsm paper. Limited to 50 sets each. by @damdammiedames

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4 months ago

INCOMING SELF-ABSORBED (AND SLIGHTLY TROUBLING BUT PAINFULLY HONEST) NEW YEAR POST:

I turned 28 a few weeks ago—not a major milestone to most, and it definitely wasnt for me either; until it came to me later that week that I'd lived past the timeline I set for myself at 14 to off myself before 27 (Which, in hindsight, I probably wouldn't have made a very worthy addition to the 27 club HAHA).

I've struggled with my mental health for more than half my life now (10 year anniversary with Prozac™!), and some days it gets really dark and extremely wearisome. I'm grateful to my loved ones who have been there for me in one way or another, and I am also sorry to those who I have hurt in the process. It's been a long, painful & accretive process of gaining insights into myself, as well as unlearning trauma responses.

Now to let the cat out of the bag (and facilitate discourse, of course!)—I was sexually assaulted at the age of 7/8 by a male classmate; and since then I've been carrying a sense of shame and self-reproach that has affected much of my life. I've gone most of my life repressing that trauma and the fact that it happened. Not acknowledging it has compounded issues and done irreparable harm to those around me (whether or not they are still around). Coming to terms and letting go of that self-reproach/anger/shame has been painful, but helped me be a happier person.

I am really lucky and privileged to be able to do what I enjoy (teaching, designing type) and in a sense I'm also thankful for the salad days (that's gotten me in many questionable situations) but also shaped my world views and my practice. It's been difficult to also be seen as an 'adult figure' in the classroom, and I am terrified of my private and personal life being scrutinised (A relic of that shame that I've carried around for the longest time). I do not claim to be perfect; I have my blind spots, and have done things I am not proud of. It is part of being human; and I'm going to stop flattening myself. Putting this out there is a good first step :-)

Thank you for reading all this (if you have), and happy 2026 all!! I wish you all self-love, growth and forgiveness (to and fro) 🌻 taken in Singahell by @damdammiedames

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10 months ago

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a year ago

some very cool pics taken during my presentation by the @cadsondemak crew at @bitscon

thank you all for sending the pictures my way and thank you all so so much once again for such a brilliant conference!! taken in W Hotel Bangkok by @damdammiedames

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2 years ago

And a special dedication post to @fionaross2, thank you so much for taking some of the points I raised into consideration and the little special mention during your session!

It was really nice seeing you again! :-) by @damdammiedames

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2 years ago

some of the really cool people at @bitscon + random bits and bobs went looking for a power adapter, ended up on a snack hunt by @damdammiedames

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2 years ago

We'll be exhibiting some work-in-progress typefaces, some student workshop outcomes & snippets of research output as part of @lasalledesigncommunication's Form_Flux_Futures exhibition at the National Design Centre running from the 5th – 8th December.

Come by, check out the exhibits, hang and buy some prints!!

Many thanks to @throughtheroof_arts for helping us out with the prints!!

@damdammiedames @darius_ou @tipo_aurora @yong_ring theyellowtampon taken in National Design Centre by @damdammiedames

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2 years ago

work-in-progress sharing of a latin/tamil/thai font i've been working on with @tipo_aurora

#type #typedesign #typography #serif #tamil #tamiltypography #thai #thaitypography by @damdammiedames

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2 years ago

thank you @outeredit for including Spore in the first issue of the Pocket Sized Design Festival!! :-) the book looks amazing—huge props to the team, especially with the crazy deadline 💀💀

i'm really enjoying looking at the works of other creatives featured in this project as well—so many interesting projects and talents!

many thanks to @heycyann for the photos!!! by @damdammiedames

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2 years ago

babe wake up, new கி glyph just dropped by @damdammiedames

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2 years ago

Very pleased to announce that Spore Latin & Tamil Regular was awarded a special mention at the 13th GRANSHAN Type Design Competition. Thank you very much to the Jury & the Panel of judges for this opportunity, I am very grateful! @granshan_foundation

Very thankful to @gerryleonidas who acknowledged the experimental streak in my work & nudged me to continue on with that (feedback offcuts included in post). Thank you very much to all the other tutors as well as my classmates whom I met in @uortypography—I have learnt very much for you all!

Thank you very much to @fredsfonts/@giuliogalli_ from whom I shamelessly stole the illustration in the last slide from & had it on my desktop for most of the MATD course 💀

Still though much remains to be done & improvements to be made so I'm going to continue cracking at it, hopefully for an eventual release 💀 by @damdammiedames

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2 years ago