As early as 6000 BC, Filipinos developed and used their own writing script as their primary communication tool, known as Baybayin. During the 1500’s, colonization replaced the writing system with the roman alphabet. By 20th century, there was almost no trace of the script, only seen as a fad or hobby.

In 2019, The Cultural Center of the Philippines, the country’s leading institution of arts and culture, reintroduces Baybayin, not as a writing system, but as a font called BayBayan.

The font was created and developed by the Cultural Center of the Philippines,

to reintroduce an important piece of the country’s identity on it’s 50th anniversary.

The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) is the country’s leading institution that strives to promote and foster Philippine culture and heritage.

On its 50th anniversary, it reintroduced Baybayin, not as a writing script, but as a font, now called BayBayan. It is the ancient Baybayin script fully-integrated into the modern alphabet.

From a writing script that was once a culture’s identity, the new font has been embraced by the CCP’s as its new brand identity.

Adapting BayBayan as their corporate font served as the first step in using it as an educational tool especially for the younger generations.

The phonetics of the Baybayin script were matched with their alphabet counterparts.

The graceful strokes of Baybayin were then combined with the hard edges of san serif,

and finally, colors were used to differentiate the two writing systems, all to create geometric harmony.

The result is a simple and highly accessible educational tool

for the forgotten piece of Philippine culture.

Online, each letter was introduced through social media,

all leading to a site that explains the origins and usage.

The campaign was praised by academic professors and scholars of the Filipino language.

“It’s quite a unique and interesting way to approach and innovate the Baybayin writing

system itself.”

Bomen Guillermo

Dept. of Filipino and Literature

University of the Philippines

“It gives a sense of identity, pride, and commitment.”

Professor Felipe Jocano Jr.

College of Social Sciences and Philosophy Department of Anthropology

University of the Philippines

Picked up by the news and media outlets (CNN, ANC News, Branding in Asia, Type Directors Club, etc.)

REACH - 6,441,564

ACTUAL MEDIA INVESTMENT - ?50,000

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Online, numerous requests were made for an online keyboard of the font. It is now under development.