Kanmani (கண்மணி) was created as a response to an increasing need for indic typefaces and this was my first attempt at learning the process of creating the letters of any alphabet, and in this case, of the Tamil Language, which I grew up seeing around me.
Traditional Tamil and other South Indian languages were first written with a stylus on palm leaves and not calligraphically. Therefore it is primarily a mono-linear typeface and works well with generous rounded proportions and solid, right-angled stems and joints.
First attempt at stylizing the letters. Different tools and nibs were used to create different treatments.
Traditional practice of calligraphy, a ladder height was decided open for the proportions. This was an exercise in proportion and structuring.
First digital draft traced out from the calligraphic forms.
Widths and proportions were determined by comparison of the letters.
