Lipi Raval’s destiny was most likely sealed on the very first day that she was born, as her first name means “script” or “writing system” in most Indian languages. We are incredibly grateful to Lipi’s parents for their foresight, as she is a true asset to the world of type design.

Lipi’s philosophy and approach to design is to free Indian characters from the label of “complex.” This is demonstrated through the design of her typefaces Kalam, Pancho Devanagari (both from Indian Type Foundry), Mogra (Google), and Ikat Devanagari (Future Fonts), as well as through her diverse body of work for renowned foundries such as Universal Thirst, fontFabric, DaltonMaag, Hanyi, Typotheque, and Rosetta. We’re delighted that our name has now been added to this list, as Fontwerk owes its first Devanagari typeface to her. Lipi has taught our very own Pangea, Hindi, Nepali, Marathi, and twelve other Indian languages.

She was born in Baroda in India and has lived on and off in London for a number of years. Alongside designing exceptional type, she offers inspiring insights into type design. Recently for Universal Thirst, she wrote an impressive essay on typographic emphasis in Devanagari and she has also introduced us to the delights of Indian textile art, such as the work of the local textile studio RaasLeela.