Akuru Collective
Co-founder of Akuru Collective — Sri Lanka's typography community, 2017–2025.
Akuru Collective (akuru.xyz) is a community of letterform enthusiasts in Sri Lanka, co-founded in 2017. Over eight years, the collective conducted over 30 community events and three major international conferences on typography.
Origins
The Akuru Collective grew directly out of the energy generated by Typoday 2017, held in Colombo. A group of designers, typographers, and letterform enthusiasts who came together for that event recognised the need for an ongoing community in Sri Lanka — a space to share resources, inspiration, and to collectively advocate for typography as a field.
“Akuru” (අකුරු) is the Sinhala word for letters/script.
Activities
- Regular ColomboType meetups for the local typography community
- Three major international typography conferences in Sri Lanka
- Workshops on calligraphy, type design, and typographic history
- ATypI Working Seminars Colombo 2019
- AkuruCon 2018 — Typography & Heritage conference
- Typography for Children’s Literature workshops
- Online talks and resources during the pandemic period
Impact
Akuru Collective created the first sustained community of practice around typography in Sri Lanka, connected local practitioners to the international type design community, and helped build the next generation of Sinhala type designers.