Tré Seals on the role of type in social justice

Initiated and designed by Seattle-based agency Civilisation, the exhibition Characters: Type in Action at the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) explores typography through a historical lens of activism, action, and impact. In considering and celebrating the influence of type design on social justice and its role in oppression, the exhibition also asks creatives to consider their role and the effect seemingly small decisions, such as type choice, truly make. 

Ensuring the modernity and ultra relevance of Characters: Type in Action, MODA brought on board Tré Seals, the founder of type foundry Vocal Type, to showcase his typefaces, each inspired by different culturally significant moments and movements in US political history. “Typography has always held a dual role in shaping societal narratives,” Tré explains. “It has the power to amplify voices calling for change but also to perpetuate oppression.” For example, Tré says that historically, the same letterpress typography used to advocate for the abolition of slavery was also used in slave auction ads, with some type foundries even designing and distributing illustration templates for slave owners.

“This enabled the system of oppression to persist visually and rhetorically,” Tré details, a concept thoroughly explored across the exhibition, revealing how the emotive personalities of typefaces could be used to divide or unite – it was simply dependent on its usage. “A key example is VTC Ruby, which reclaims a typeface formerly known as ‘Jim Crow’,” Tré continues. “The typeface, once a tool of oppression, has been redesigned and renamed after Civil Rights icon Ruby Bridges,” marking a transition that’s reflective of both the exhibition and Tré’s philosophy – taking symbols of division and reshaping them into tools of empowerment and justice.

To date, Vocal Type has released 17 typefaces, each embodying this approach, drawing directly from historical documentation. For example, with VTC Martin, his team looked at the visual materials of the Memphis Sanitation Strike, where Martin Luther King Jr famously spoke, championing economic justice. “Each typeface is deeply rooted in research and storytelling,” he adds, “honouring the individuals and movements that inspired them,” a creative approach Tré and Civilization channelled in Characters: Type in Action’s visual output, focusing on immersing audiences in the context and visual language surrounding these remarkable figures and movements. 

“The goal was to create layers of engagement,” he notes, “both visceral and intellectual. The entire exhibition space was designed to feel like a journey… we even turned the exhibition into a newspaper that visitors could take home,” – a practical reference to the way in which information was historically disseminated in social justice movements.

Looking ahead at the global state of affairs, Tré believes typography still has a major role to play. “Typography will remain a cornerstone of social justice movements and the organisations that support them,” he says, offering a clear, urgent and distinct visual cadence that voices such important messages. “As a bridge between visual and emotional expression, type can connect people to causes in ways that spoken or written words alone often cannot,” he says, in contextualising the issue in an area where visual communication is immediate and ultimately omnipresent. “Intentionally designed typefaces can serve as tools to preserve cultural memory, amplify underrepresented voices. Moving forward, typography’s role will be to humanise complex issues, making them accessible and impossible to ignore,” Tré ends. “It’s not just about aesthetics; it’s about creating a deeper connection between people and the movements that shape our world.”