Background

Since 2016, the Philippines’ political landscape has changed tremendously. Under a strict regime that has prosecuted journalists for challenging the administration, the people have grown scared and the same nation that was liberated by People Power has been silenced. But the country has been through this kind of oppression before during the Spanish occupation of the 1600s and Martial Law in the 1980s. In 2019, Filipinos need to once again strengthen the influence of the press with the same spirit as past revolutions. Since the freedom of expression should not be just the job of the press but also of the people, it was the team’s objective to reignite the spirit of revolution in each Filipino by providing a medium they can use to make their statements heard.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

Throughout Filipino history, revolutions were ignited by the printed word. The team took the same idea and modernized it to fit the lives and dynamics of today’s cyber society. While people vehemently voice their thoughts and opinions via tweets and posts, the same cannot be said when they’re in the outside world. But by giving a (type)face to their voices that can be used in print, their statements become impossible to ignore. Thus, Freedom Fonts was born. The project was started as an initiative by the agency with only 100 USD spent on securing the website’s domain name and an editor’s fee of 500 USD for the website’s video.

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

The team’s inspiration came from historical revolutionary publications during the Spanish occupation of the Philippines. Freedom Fonts were modeled after the fonts of revolutionary newspapers La Solidaridad, Renacimiento Filipino, KALAYAAN, and La Independencia, which helped end the Spanish occupation in the 1800s and forms part of the country’s educational curriculum. The typefaces were then made available to the public and free for download through the website www.freedomfonts.ph. As symbols of bravery, sacrifice, struggle, and triumph, they echo the spirit of the Filipino revolution and provide a medium in which people can freely express their sentiments and opinions through art, signages, brochures, and whatever forms of print and media they choose to use, including social media posts. Their works are then collected and reposted on the Instagram page @freedomfontsph where the fonts and the people’s artwork remind Filipinos to protect and fight for their basic rights as citizens.

List the results (20% of vote)

Freedom Fonts is a small-scale initiative with large-scale ambitions that it successfully achieved by garnering nationwide influence. The fonts have been downloaded to the thousands and used in various artworks and events for Independence Day, Pride Month, the national elections, and many more. Recently, this design project had won multiple metals at the 2019 Adobo Design Awards. They have been featured in online articles for magazines like Scout, Esquire, Adobo, Wonder, and WeThePvblic. But most importantly, the project has garnered almost 10 million Pesos in free media and 5 million media impressions within 6 months of its launch – achieving media values that are almost 17K% beyond the agency’s investment. Proving that Filipinos can never be silent against injustice and fighting for their rights is written in not only their history but their blood.