Uhlola kweNdebele:

reconnecting Zimbabwe through typographic design

Authors

Keywords:

Typographic design, African Design, Adinkra Symbology

Abstract

This article presents the methodological and contextual components of a research conducted by artistic practice with a focus on typographic design and the reconnection of ancestral culture. Uhlola kweNdebele focuses on the aesthetics and symbolic elements of the adinkra symbols, part of the Ndebele culture. The typography developed focuses on the recognition of forms of African symbols, while for the practitioner it is a chronicle that recognizes a personal history. The purpose of the article is to contribute to the discussions regarding the use of graphic design as an engine of cultural and autoetnographic research, reintegrating the past and the present. The article aims to suggest a social commentary and notions of representation in African typography, challenging a vast number of countries with their own cultures and values.

Author Biographies

Nolwazi Nolwazi, Auckland University of Technology: Auckland, NZ

Graphic designer based in Aoteraora, New Zealand, and originally from Zimbabwe.
She holds a BA in Communication Design from Auckland University of Technology and her artwork investigates how design practice can promote ethical reconnections and promote cultural awareness.

Dr. Marcos Steagall, Auckland University of Technology: Auckland, NZ

Marcos Mortensen Steagall is a senior lecturer and Programme Leader of the Communication Design course from the Auckland University of Technology - AUT, based at their South Campus. He has 20 years of experience as a tertiary lecturer, having exercised different roles in the academic administration including course leader, curriculum supervisor, department director, deputy faculty director and school dean. He holds a Master (2000) and PhD (2006) in Communication and Semiotics acquired in The Pontifical Catholic University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and a PhD in Art and Designed granted by Auckland University of Technology in 2019. His research interests are connected to visual semiotics; practice-oriented research methodologies in Art, Design and Technology; Lens-based image-making and indigenous epistemologies.

References

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Published

2021-09-18

How to Cite

Nolwazi, N., & Steagall, M. M. . (2021). Uhlola kweNdebele:: reconnecting Zimbabwe through typographic design. TRANSVERSO, (10), 08–16. Retrieved from https://revista.uemg.br/index.php/transverso/article/view/6097

Issue

No. 10 (2021): Black Lives: stories, narratives and interfaces with art and design

Section

Artigos

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c. Autores têm permissão e são estimulados a publicar e distribuir seu trabalho online (ex.: em repositórios institucionais ou na sua página pessoal) a qualquer ponto antes ou durante o processo editorial, já que isso pode gerar alterações produtivas, bem como aumentar o impacto e a citação do trabalho publicado (Veja O Efeito do Acesso Livre).