Award-winning Bahamian typographer Rachel Chea creates a unique #EmbraceEquity design
March 08, 2023
We're celebrating the awesome work of talented women typographers to help raise visibility and increase the volume of commissioned work for female lettering artists worldwide.
When it comes to the world of typography, there is still a significant gender imbalance in the field. An overwhelming majority of typeface designers are male, even though the field of graphic design as a whole has certainly become more gender-balanced over recent years.
That's why celebrating skilled female type designers worldwide and ensuring credit for their design endeavors is so important. Female role models are also key to inspiring the many girls seeking to enter the exciting and diverse world of typography worldwide.
Introducing Rachel Chea, an award-winning graphic designer and lettering artist creating impactful designs that showcase a brand’s personality and bring people joy.
Bringing people joy through her designs
As a Bahamian, Rachel is always looking to her natural surroundings for color and flair, and she applies this to everything that she does. Rachel creates striking designs that show off a brand’s personality and lighthearted content that brings people joy.
Whether designing for brands or creating lettering art for fun, Rachel's process always involves analyzing both the smaller details and the larger objective.
Having worked at agencies and in a freelance capacity, Rachel has gained experience in branding and identity, art direction, editorial and layout, digital design, packaging, and environmental design. Rachel's brilliant work has seen her win four Indigo Awards for her work with Nassau Cruise Port.
Creating an #EmbraceEquity design
After creating #BreakTheBias lettering art for the annual IWD Typism challenge, Rachel has once again taken part by creating an impressive design based around the 2023 campaign theme.
Rachel's design [pictured above] cleverly incorporates the IWD purple and #EmbraceEquity theme, while taking a unique approach to wording and layout.
"Let’s be real...every day should be IWD. Every day we should be supporting and lifting women up, celebrating our achievements, raising awareness and our voices about any discrimination we see, and doing what we can to #EmbraceEquity. To be honest when I first saw the theme for this year, I interpreted equity to be the same as equality. While they’re similar in meaning, equity is a lot more than just equality and inclusion," explains Rachel.
"Equity isn’t about giving everyone the same thing across the board. Equity acknowledges that people don't begin life in the same place, and that circumstances can make it more difficult for people to achieve the same goals. The goal of equity is to change systemic and structural barriers that get in the way of people's ability to thrive," adds Rachel.
Love Rachel's work?
Rachel is clearly a talented typographer and designer - and she's got a diverse portfolio and glowing testimonials to prove it!
If you're a company looking to creatively promote your brand, consider working with Rachel. Or, if you simply want to support a women-owned arts business, Rachel sells some unique cards and stickers via her online shop.
Take part in the challenge!
Lettering artists worldwide - novice or experienced - are invited to post their lettering creations on Instagram with the aim of showing solidarity in calling on communities to help challenge gender inequality.
A selection of impactful entries and their creators are featured to support International Women's Day via the IWD and Typism websites and social media channels throughout the year.
Share your creativity with the world and support other talented women through the power of typography!