OHO is a typeface I designed based on the syllabics made for the Cree people who are indigenous to Manitoba, Canada. It was developed by James Evans in 1840 to create a writing system for the Cree. When designing my typeface I wanted to take characteristics from the Cree syllabics. These included using curved edges, elongated characters, and having nothing extend below the baseline.
I decided to name the typeface OHO, which translates to "owl" in Cree. When I was growing up I always connected owls with reading and books, probably because of Winnie the Pooh, so I thought it would be appropriate to name it after an animal known for knowing words.
To design and develop OHO, I used Illustrator and Glyphs 3.
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/38ffc7ce-1048-45ae-ae28-61ab85be5f78/821bc6b8-d0a0-43f1-b1ce-cdeacf67f822_rw_3840.png?h=8b856c68fa2732deff7a94b5f29f7044)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/38ffc7ce-1048-45ae-ae28-61ab85be5f78/bb123898-6a2a-4bb2-a84f-d4f7385c5aa9_rw_3840.png?h=ea5b69ae8020dee4237cf1961bbbd143)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/38ffc7ce-1048-45ae-ae28-61ab85be5f78/739603f3-cfe7-442a-a1a7-5e40f4a6ffaf_rw_3840.png?h=3dd7025c571e1492b8ab463928199282)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/38ffc7ce-1048-45ae-ae28-61ab85be5f78/d3921b3b-aa00-42fe-b6a5-2544cc3854d6_rw_3840.png?h=a5f192a53ea615ff810ed4834b714657)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/38ffc7ce-1048-45ae-ae28-61ab85be5f78/4bbf261a-ef1a-4ce9-93ec-1382a7561dbf_rw_3840.png?h=f45bd74dc12df795c1cc8a2a18140446)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/38ffc7ce-1048-45ae-ae28-61ab85be5f78/8ef2b4e8-3900-4260-b2af-739f68cec2a9_rw_3840.png?h=3be907316c4a6a24d1816a19896456c6)
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/38ffc7ce-1048-45ae-ae28-61ab85be5f78/d30bb4ca-682c-4c8f-b1ab-d311cb0c2039_rw_3840.png?h=287671f10e83102e0197fc9a90bbcf71)