These are the fonts that adorned the street corners to announce the top parties and football matches ahead of the weekend in many Ga-Dangbe coastal communities.

They were very popular in communities such as Nungua, Teshie, La, Osu, Tema, and Jamestown among others.

I always admired the painters who painstakingly brought these ‘ads’ to life by hand.

Culture meets design: These are the fonts that adorned the street corners in Teshie to announce the top parties and football matches ahead of the weekend in ‘Maamli’ and many other Ga-Dangbe coastal communities.

I always admired the painters who painstakingly brought these… pic.twitter.com/Qt9USS8RrO

— Kenneth Awotwe Darko (@TheKennethDarko) August 13, 2024

But the phenomenon is fading away due to rapid digitisation.

The nostalgic art form is now a reality in design-friendly digital format as Google Fonts officially launches its collection as part of its open-source font directory.

Dubbed ‘Ga Maamli’, the historic designs were designed by three Ghanaians: David Annertey Abbey-Thompson, Afotey Clement Nii Odai, and Ama Asantewa Diaka of Aayalolo Studio.

Introducing Ga Maamli - Accra’s own handwriting.
Inspired by the historic handwritten posters found in the vibrant coastal communities of Accra, Ga Maamli is a font that embodies the spirited essence of the Ga people.
Available to download on Google fonts. https://t.co/RSkZufT77Y pic.twitter.com/Isq8FprS3Q

— aayalolo.studio (@aayalolostudio) August 13, 2024

The fonts come in nuances and exude a charm that pays homage to its vernacular origins while embracing modern typographic standards.

Google Fonts is a library of original guides to the world of typography, which the Google Fonts team is producing in collaboration with typographic experts from around the world.

Google Fonts Knowledge enables designers and developers of all skill sets to choose and use type with purpose.

The font is available for download here: https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Ga+Maamli

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The author, Kenneth Awotwe Darko is a journalist, arts and music enthusiast and social media analyst.

Follow him on Twitter via @TheKennethDarko and on Facebook, Kenneth Awotwe Darko.