It’s Nice That (in partnership with Fontsmith) commissioned me to create a typeface inspired by an aspect of my hometown. I decided to use the Byker Wall, a council estate where I grew up in Newcastle Upon Tyne, as my main inspiration.

It was built by the architect Ralph Erskine (between 1969 and 1982) and was constructed to replace the old Victorian terraces that had been condemned as unfit for human habitation. Erskine was an planner whose commitment to people-centred design was rooted in his parents Fabianism, his own Quakerism and Swedish social democracy. His vision for Byker was for “a complete and integrated environment for living in the widest sense”.

Through a child’s eyes it was a fascinating and stimulating place to live – I was constantly surrounded by bright primary colours and geometric shapes and these are things that still heavily inspire my work today.

To read the full article visit It’s Nice That here.

Main photographs by Jack Johnstone