Baakhynai is a typeface project that celebrates the Sakha (a vast region in northeastern Siberia, Russia) language and identity while highlighting the erasure of Indigenous cultures in Russia. Named after a term for people of dual Sakha and Russian heritage, it draws from personal history and explores growing up between cultures. Drawing on traditional Sakha embroidery, the design reflects nature, spirituality, and resilience. Baakhynai responds to political, cultural, and environmental threats faced by the people of Sakha, including colonialism and resource exploitation. Inspired by Sakha literature, especially my grandfather’s poetry book, it is both a practical tool and a tribute, sparking dialogue around Indigenous rights, language preservation, and cultural resilience. The project was presented at the GradX exhibition, ATypI conference in Copenhagen and TU Dublin Research Symposium 2025.
The project consists of a type prototype, a printed type specimen and a digital type specimen presented above. My goal was to illustrate both practicality and aesthetic features of the typeface by creating imagery with solely Baakhynai typeface.
For the project’s promotion I developed a short video demonstrating versatility of the typeface as well as the theme of the project. The visuals are accompanied by traditional Sakha music.
I presented my research for the project in the form of an academic poster at ATypI, an international post-graduate typographic conference in Copenhagen, April of 2025.
Research for Baakhynai was also featured in the TU Dublin Research Symposium, May 2025.