fai* chittayasodhara



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fai* is Thai multidisciplinary designer currently based 
in NYC, bridging typography, visual systems, and digital product experience.


 



Malila

Project: Retail Typeface
Company: Cadson Demak.co.,Ltd
Country: Thailand
Released: 2024
Supporting Language: Thai, English, Catalan, Danish, German,Spanish, Finnish, Filipino, 
French, Indonesian, Italian, Malay, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish, Vietnamese

Roles:
Type Design, Type Drawing, Historical Researching, 
Promoting Artwork, Content Researching and Writing

Tools:
Glyphs 3, Adobe Illustrator 

fonts.adobe.com/fonts/malila
fonts.cadsondemak.com/retail-fonts/malila

Find out behind ‘Girls’ Typeface here:
Font & Center Series: Malila‘Malila,’ the revival typeface from early 2000s Window System, its distinguished feelings in softness and approachable in the past history of Thai typeface popped out as the one of most well-known in use. Although, time goes by, to reach the limitation of the past technologies into the present, the project began with black plumped textures, a bit heavy and unclear. So I brought up cleaning the protruded inky remaining with the original gesture. Some Thai consonants are also reinterpreted into more simplified way; such as cutting the ornaments of Thai serif endings, turning into concealed-looped terminals. I also reduced the letterform familiar in using, enhanced the legibility in a much more balance in reading. By the end of process Malila was expanded in terms of variable fonts from heaviness into thinness axis.

‘Malila’ is now ready to use in Adobe Fonts within 9 weights 9 styles, applicable across various contexts.






Thai typeface with friendly voicesMalila originated from Jasmine UPC, one of the most memorable Thai typefaces from the 2000s Windows system. Its appearance can still be recognized in Thai local signage, street graphics, small businesses, and nostalgic advertisements.

This type of voice has always been mass and familiar in Thai visual culture. Its soft and plump forms made it feel approachable, casual, and close to everyday life. However, in the current Thai type market, there is still a gap for this familiar style to be reinterpreted with more refinement and usability.

Malila was developed from this opportunity; to transform an already recognizable local voice into a contemporary Thai type family. It preserves the warmth and friendliness of early digital Thai typography, while improving its structure, weight range, and capacity for modern use.



Malila’s Grandfather : Cooper Black
Heritage & Market Positioning in the 20th Century Back to the past, there were also the example of approachable typeface in history named ‘Cooper Black.’

Looking through Cooper Black case studies, “Anthropormorphic” is a key point for its famous and easily recognizable. In typographic history, Cooper Black became a key example of how a heavy typeface can move beyond display use and become part of everyday visual culture. Its rounded curves, soft joints, and organic proportions made the typeface feel friendly and easy to recognize, even with its strong visual weight.

Cooper Black became popular by its approachable shape. After passing the movable type era, it transferred into dry transfer which is applied massively by non-designer in 60s.

This approachable heaviness along with mass usage in product became an important reference for Malila. Instead of treating boldness as something rigid or aggressive, Malila explores how weight, softness, and familiar texture can work together to create a Thai typeface that feels both expressive and accessible.


Limitations of original technologies in drawing
Malila seems to be a huge gap in Thai typefaces to fill in the category. Once I had a discussion with my type director how it would head on position, we’d decided to focus on redesigning it more contemporary but still giving a same voices as original. This leads to 
the solution of reducing details, simplifying letterforms shapes, and keep the original plump texture relocating to adjacent features.

Endless possibilities of Malila
Today, Malila is available on Adobe Fonts and has appeared across many everyday contexts, from CapCut templates and social media content on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, to packaging design in Thai convenience stores.

As its usage continues to grow, Malila has been developed further to expand the capacity of its voice. The family is planned to extend from Black to Thin weights, while also exploring Condensed styles and a Sans Serif superfamily as part of its future expansion.






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