Malina Mikami
Graphic Designer



[05]Sampha
Font Design

Sampha is a sans-serif display typeface with serif-like qualities, striking a balance between edge and elegance. 

The letterforms mirror the tonal inflections inspired by the British singer, songwriter, and musician—Sampha Lahai Sisay. 

Just as his voice oscillates between vulnerability and strength, the typeface carries a rhythmic tension.
Info




References

Songs

2023
Rose Tint
Lahai (Deluxe)
Sampha
Listen

2023
What If You Hypnotise Me?
Lahai (Deluxe)
Sampha and Léa Sen
Listen
2023
Can’t Go Back
Lahai (Deluxe)
Sampha
Listen

Color

2023
Lahai
Sampha Lahai Sisay

2023
Sampha on Headstands, Homesickness, and Spiritual Intervention for Interview Magazine
Matthew Leifheit

2024
The Sublimation of Sampha for To Be Magazine
Hector Clark

2016
Sampha performing in Vega, Copenhagen
Sakena

Type


2024
Fansan Typeface
Diego Aravena

2020
Marlfield Typeface
Eliott Grunewald

2008
Fraktur Mon Amour

Judith Schalansky

2008
Fraktur Mon Amour

Judith Schalansky

2024
NKF: Piet Zwart’s Avant-Garde Catalog for Standard Cables, 1927–1928
Letterform Archive Books

2020
Marlfield Typeface
Eliott Grunewald


Gratitude

Thank you

Professor: Gregory Lindy





© Malina Mikami 2025
Work




[05]


Letterform Study


I’ve learned that when studying letterforms, it’s essential to view them in context—as words and as bodies of color—to understand how shapes and negative spaces interact and shift at different scales.
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