About Anantākkhara
In a nutshell
Anantākkhara is a curated edition of historic Khmer typefaces, here to be preserved for eternity. Some are faithful facsimile revivals, some interpretations of a common theme, yet all are intended to be as-historically-accurate-as-possible, state-of-the-art typefaces.
The type design project is run by German graphic designer Basti Steinhauer.
Acknowledgements
This project would not have been possible without the invaluable counsel and encouragement of Michel Antelme, Tep Sovichet, Christine Schmutzler, to all of whom I’d like to extend my deepest gratitude. Your feedback, support and advice have been fundamental to this project.
Also I’d like to thank my Cambodian friends and former colleagues from BSDA, Thorn Vandong, Say Sokhoeun, Nem Chhany, Prom Di, Sorn Narong, Chhourng Panha, Chham Pholla, Chok Piseth, Ngin Sameths, Chan Samnang, Keng Sinon, Chhourng Socheata, Khim Sojohn, Pim Sokhom, Srun Somavattey, Pheang Thida, Sokh Vannarā, Vath Vireak. Without you, this project would not exist.
Distribution
To facilitate further research in Khmer type design, these fonts are available free of charge to students, researchers, professors, and state-accredited educational institutions. The licensing of the fonts for commercial or private use will be realised soon.
History
Basti initiated this project in 2012 after returning from a one-year volunteering experience in Kampong Cham, Cambodia. During his time there, he worked at the Buddhist NGO BSDA as a graphic designer and interim HR Manager, learning to read and write Khmer, Pāli, and Sanskrit. His initial attempts to geometrically redesign the Khmer script, however, were eventually abandoned as they rendered the script illegible to Khmer readers. Years passed, and it was not until the Covid pandemic that he realised he still wanted to contribute to Khmer culture, particularly through his interest in type design.
Methodology
Khmer cultural contents have survived the atrocities of the 1970s and 1980s, primarily preserved in archives in France and also in Cambodia. These archives contain valuable evidence of the ingenuity in the long tradition of Khmer letterforms. Some archives have begun digitizing this content and making it available online. For the Anantākkhara project, cultural contents from the age of print were thoroughly analysed, leading to the creation of two types of typefaces: facsimile reproductions, where every letter is traced to resemble the original design, and interpretations based on a common theme. For instance, headline lettering, which originally contained only a few letters but was compiled from different documents, completed the idea of a typeface. Additionally, the designs were based on a component approach, where specific parts of a letter are reused throughout the alphabet to create consistency.
Although based on old material, some typefaces are also revolutionary: The typeface Grœung is the first digital font of its kind, where the graphemes are vertically compressed to fit one line, a development that emerged in commercial lettering in the 1950s/60s. The typeface Masi is the first historic round hand calligraphic style font of its kind, based on European writing books from the end of the 19th century. In the quality assurance process, Basti’s Cambodian friends, as well as experts on Khmer graphology, were consulted.