Jad Maza

Hi! Kumusta? [A lot of new people here, so I was thinking it might be a good time for a lil introduction] I’m Jad 👋 a type designer from Iloilo, Philippines. From the very start of my type design journey in 2020, I’ve been interested in how my experiences, context, and culture as a Filipino can be shared and celebrated in the form of fonts. If I were to describe my 2024 in one word, it would be “meaningful”—from working on multiple custom typefaces, collaborating with some of the best creatives in the industry, giving talks and spreading the word on pinoy type, getting a couple of features and a merit, and releasing font families with foundries—this year was packed with big projects for my type design practice. To the rockstars I’ve collaborated with this year, to all those who have just recently found my work, and everyone who has been here cheering since the beginning, as always, Salámat! 🙏#artvsartist2024

Started off this year with the huge milestone of finally teaching type design at a university! 🤸‍♂️

Ayala Malls (@iloveayalamalls ) has grown over time, with each mall developing its own identity. This created the need for a more unified design system, leading to a rebrand that establishes a clearer hierarchy and shared visual language across all touchpoints. I had the chance to work closely with And A Half (@andahalfph ) as part of their design team on this project. Under their creative direction, we identified typography and illustration as key elements in tying the system together. I then worked with the team to design and develop the custom typeface. A hallmark of Ayala Malls is its expansive, vibrant spaces, from activity centers and gardens to areas for art and culture. 🌱🌿 Our key visual, Enriching Spaces, draws from the organic forms and flowing architecture found throughout the malls, from open courtyards and garden pathways to curved facades and light-filled interiors. These shapes come together in dynamic compositions that reflect how spaces evolve as people gather and connect. From this, we developed Ayala Display Sans and Ayala Sans, a typeface family that echoes this sense of movement and openness through sculpted contours, soft angles, and balanced proportions. Rooted in humanist influences and refined with a contemporary sensibility, the design feels warm, approachable, and timeless. The family includes two styles, each available in three weights: Regular, Bold, and Black. Visit the full project at 🔗 and-a-half.ph *** CREATIVE DIRECTION - And A Half TYPE DESIGN - Jo Malinis, Jad Maza BRAND IDENTITY - BJ Abesamis, Petra Gana, Jayrene Cruz, Tim Lopez, Mark Andres, Jo Malinis, Jad Maza

Thanksgiving cake 🍰 May not seem like a lot, but looking back, this year was so tightly-packed with huge wins and new experiences in my type design journey, I kept catching my breath *phew* 😮‍💨 Salámat, 2025! 🥂 To more milestones, opportunities, and fonts! ✨ #artvsartist2025 (p.s. not AI, just classic photo manipulation, swipe to the last slide to see the messy layers! 😆)

Version 1.0 is here! After over 3 years, the workhorse Bantayog Family, composed of Bantayog Sans and Bantayog Sharp, has finally come to the finish line,with dedicated static files for Roman, Roman Alt, Italic, Small Caps, and Baybayin + Bantayog Sharp Variable fonts. Now available at our website, jadmaza.com

My relationship with my first font is like a constant tug-of-war: on one hand, seeing it being used everywhere energizes me a ton, but on the flip side, I am constantly being haunted by the decisions of my former self. Can anyone relate? As I learn more about type design, the more I could identify certain ‘flaws’ and gather tricks as to how shapes can be better executed, and as I spend time working on more typefaces, the more I realize that, sure, there may be principles, but there’s no one-size-fits-all, and that I couldn’t have already known everything I know now from the very start. After a couple of attempts to update this font, it’s only until I’ve accepted its wonkyness that I was able to rationalize the underlying structure to expand to more styles while maintaining its overall personality—hasty and abruptly cut, just like how ‘maragsâ’ words are pronounced. The redrawn Maragsâ, now available at futurefonts.com/jadmaza

Owing to one of the Filipino accent marks denoting a hasty and final abrupt stop in pronunciation, we’re finally expanding our original typeface, Maragsâ, now available on @futurefonts After 5 years since its release, Maragsâ has been diligently redrawn from the ground up, reimagining its shapes to expand into more styles, bringing you 3 widths: Narrow, Medium, Wide. Grab them at futurefonts.com/jadmaza

Join us for a workshop on sketching for typefaces with Jad Maza on October 25, 2025, from 3–5 PM at Comuna! Jad Maza is a Filipino designer hailing from Iloilo, recognized for his passion in type design. His work explores how type design can thrive within the Philippine context, with his typefaces featured on international foundries like Blaze Type and Future Fonts. Scan the QR code in the image to register! #MCADCommons #MCADmanila #Space63 #ElisaTan

🌍 TE Lecture Series: Language, Identity, and Typography in the Philippines 🗓️ Friday | October 10th, 2025, 1-2 PM ET
🎥 30–45 min talks + Q&A 📍 Online | Free to attend (donations welcome) Join us for a series of conversations exploring the challenges of language support, diacritic design, and the role of type design in language revitalization. In this session, we’ll speak with @aniciaclean and @jad.otf to explore the rich linguistic and typographic landscape of the Philippines. Jo will open with a broad overview of the country’s many languages and scripts, followed by Jad’s research on Baybayin and ongoing efforts in script revival and cultural reclamation. Together, they will reflect on questions such as: How has colonization impacted the writing systems of the Philippines? How have English and Tagalog shaped everyday communication and design? What does it mean to reclaim precolonial scripts today, and how can type design support that process? About Jo: Jo Malinis (she/her) is a type and graphic designer from the Philippines. She earned a postgraduate certificate from Type West in 2022 and has taught design at the University of the Philippines Diliman, as well as assisted workshops at Type Electives. Jo is currently the Library Curator at Type Network. Jo founded Type63, a platform celebrating Filipino type design and typography, and is the co-founder of Type Fair PH, an in-person gathering and celebration of Filipino type and talent. About Jad: Jad Maza (he/him) is a Filipino designer hailing from Iloilo, Philippines. Sparked by a passion project, his type design practice focuses on developing fonts for both Latin and Baybayin scripts, and explores what more type design can look like in the Philippines' context. Send us your questions @typeelectives 🔗 Register via link in bio

minsan humor, kamakailan lagusan, ngayon ghost project 💁

Coming up 🔜Bantayog Sans v0.4 commemorates Ninoy Aquino through the airport named after him, now with added italics, more language support, and additional currency symbols for an even more global reach. New version dropping August 21st. Get it at futurefonts.com/jadmaza --- Special thanks to my friend @duo.xyz for checking the Vietnamese 🙏

Wave hello to Unicase! 👋 It’s been 3 years since I was inspired by giant clams to create and release our typeface, Taklobo, with @blazetype . So I was thrilled stumbling upon @danjuganisland ‘s Adopt-A-Clam program—a perfect opportunity to give back to my inspiration and support the conservation of our critically-endangered gentle giants. Visit @prrcfi and @danjuganisland ‘s pages to learn more about their conservation efforts 🐢