Confidently shameless with a personalized feel, Ngoh Sans serves to commemorate the Hmong people’s resilience during The Secret War.
The Hmong are a small ethnic group originally from the mountainsides in China. Due to the harsh government conditions, they were forced out of their homes and into other mountainous regions in Thailand, Laos, Burma, Vietnam, and other Southeast Asian countries. This would soon lead them to assist the American CIA in stopping the transportation of weapons to the Vietnamese communist government, also known as The Secret War.
Since the end of the Vietnam War, the Hmong have immigrated to America in hopes of finding safety and escaping the communist government of Vietnam. They have slowly begun to raise their voices to be known and accepted by the American government, one example being their establishment of Hmong-American Day on May 14.
The opportunity to create a typeface for the Hmong arose. This special ethnic group is resilient, powerful, and hospitable people, always looking out for those who cross paths with them. The typeface serves to raise awareness of their presence and culture among those who do not know of them. For the Hmong, this typeface is to bring unison and signify that their voices are heard. It is to be an outspoken response for the Hmong. They do not have to hide or live underneath one’s shadows, they are recognized and remembered.
The goal of this typeface was to make it reminiscent of the Secret War, in which the Hmong assisted the American CIA in defeating the Vietnamese communist government, and the origin story of coming to America.
Ngoh Sans was based on the image of a poster that states, “Support our men in Vietnam." It would be best suited for signage and display branding. Examples would include materials like notebooks, mugs, pens, logos, signs, etc.
As a first-generation Hmong American myself, I had the privilege to bring this project to life, bringing my family’s story to the eyes of individuals who have no knowledge of the history Hmong people carry.
PROJECT TYPE
Typography, Historical, Layout
Typography, Historical, Layout
DELIVERABLES
Typeface Design, Publication
Typeface Design, Publication
Photographed by George Garrigues on April 15, 1967 at the
anti-Vietnam War march in San Francisco.
anti-Vietnam War march in San Francisco.
