Chawanat Suwan

 
 
 
 

Chawanat Suwan is a Thai graphic designer who grew up in Chiang Mai. After completing his Bachelor's degree in communication arts and design from King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL), He started working as a junior graphic designer at Farmgroup and G49. 

With a strong interest in reading fictions, comics, and articles, he found his passion in designing books and doing some illustrations. Influenced by modernist’s design, especially Gerd Arntz and Otto Neurath’s works, Chawanat developed the idea of communicating complex information by using simple well-drawn pictures (pictogram) as his signature style. Moreover, he also continually practiced in typography and type design during his free time. In 2014, he achieved his Master’s degree in art and culture management from Chiang Mai University.

He spent 8 years producing the wide range of works such as corporate identity design, corporate typeface, book design, illustration, and custom-made icons for both local business and various organizations such as AP (Thailand), The James H.W. Thompson Foundation, Jim Thompson House Museum, Tasaki, Bar-B-Q Plaza, Rimping Supermarket, Readery, Library House, and more.

He was chosen as one of “Young Gun Asia Award” (Antalis 10-20-30) held by Antalis Asia Pacific in 2015. He wrote a series of design and culture related essays called “จึงเรียนมาเพื่อทราบ” and a co-writer in “เครื่องหมายกับความหมาย”, a book about logo design, published by Cadson Demak Press. Now, He is working as a senior graphic designer at Cadson Demak, a type foundry and design consultancy based in Bangkok.

 

BITS 8 on the beach Conference
Chawanat Suwan
October 6, 2018
Morning Session
10:00am - 1:00pm
at InterContinental Hua Hin Resort

"Thinking with Thai Alphabet in Slowmotion"

Just like reading any language, reading fast requires more than just a language skill. Understanding the mind twist of Thai letterforms from traditional loop to modern loop less. Examine the relationship between the two tent poles of Thai type design. Thai letterforms have never been that hard for Thais to figure out even though the same letter is presented in a different form. What make us have this much of flexibility and the variation of the same letterform. What are the principle and process within ourselves on how to identify each character while we read Thai.