Title design for
@chasingcambodia with
@fredshallcrass
This project began with translating the film title “Chasing Cambodia” into Khmer. It was important for us to get the translation right—capturing the nuances that native speakers would recognize. I consulted my parents, friends, and my Khmer teacher,
@ddcheth , for the best colloquial translation. We ultimately landed on “ដេញតាមកម្ពុជា”
At the time, I had just completed
@ddcheth ’s Level 1 class, where I learned the foundational shapes of Khmer consonants and vowels. This basic understanding of Khmer writing helped guide our approach to designing the letterforms. The Khmer alphabet is incredibly complex, with 33 consonants, 24 dependent vowels, 12 independent vowels…and probably more I’m not even aware of.
The idea of drawing custom Khmer type was so daunting, but luckily
@fredshallcrass was down to give it a try. Fred is not only a talented type designer but also a cyclist, making this project feel like the perfect match for us.
We also consulted our friends in Phnom Penh
@sovichet and
@both_bou of
@anagata.design . Their type design feedback was invaluable.
Fred’s custom Khmer lettering draws from Moul script, a bold and rounded style commonly seen throughout Cambodia. I’m still in awe Fred took on the challenge of drawing Khmer—and he totally killed this.
Thank you
@phanmail @jschihl @benhudsonsaunders @kmjonas for the collaboration and trust.
@chasingcambodia is screening in Richmond
@thebyrdrva tomorrow, where I’ll be moderating the panel. Excited to be in my hometown to celebrate this film 💚
