Pracha Suveeranont
In 2002, I wrote "10 Faces of Thai Type and the Nation", a book on thai typeface which focus on its social history, especially in creating an identity of a nation. Based on the book, I organized an exhibition in Bangkok. The exhibition travelled to 3 different parts of the country.
From 2012 to 2014, I was an Advisor for the National Discovery Museum. I received the 2010 Silpatorn, a national award in Graphic Design from the Department of Arts and Culture. In the same year, I had my works shown in "Re-Designing the East: Political Design in Asia and Europe" at Wurttembergischer Kuntsverein, Stuttgart, Germany.
As a designer I worked at SC Matchbox for 20 years and received numerous awards both in graphic design and advertising. I teach at the Graduate School, Fine and Applied Arts Department, Chulalongkorn University and write a column on design in Matichon, a weekly magazine. The column is titled "Design + Culture" and have been published as 3 books. In 2011, I wrote "From Thai to Vernacular Thai" a book on Design and Thai Identity.
My writing on film was awarded best film criticism in 1996. The Articles have been published as ""Lae Nue Tue Nang" in 1997 and followed by Part Two in 2000.
BITS MMXV International Conference
Pracha Suveeranont
Presented by Typographic Association Bangkok (TAB)
November 1, 2015.
Evening session
5th fl Auditorium, bacc.
“Klang: Thai typefaces in the 1950s”
The talk will be on my 2015 visit to Monotype Archive in Salfords, London. In the metal type era, Monotype made the automatic typecasting and typesetting machine. This is the first time we set the type using keyboard-operated system. Type has become data and the process of getting it done is coding. Today, its Archive collects all notes and drawings of its typefaces including non-roman and has been a great source for typographers all over the world.
Every box in the archive tells a story. Monotype has 5 boxes of document on Thai typefaces dating from 1955-1968. The one I was looking for is "Monotype Klang" made by Thai Watanaphanit who joined hands with Monotype to develop a face suitable for the new machine. The typeface was a huge success and was still in used even today.