Ashokman Singh, Creator of ‘Aakriti’ Font and Designer of the Nepal Electricity Authority Log
कात्तिक २३, २०८२ १३:५
Kathmandu: Born on 25 September, 1955 in Tansen, Palpa, an incident from nearly six decades ago remains fresh in Ashokman’s memory. He was particularly interested in painting from childhood. One day, he wandered to the Tilak Press near his home, a place often visited by the village elders.
Amritlal Bajracharya, an elderly man smoking Sulpa at the press, called him affectionately: “Ashok, come here, son. Come on, make a picture of me smoking tobacco.”
The young Ashokman drew without hesitation. The press operator handed him plain paper and a pencil. Sitting at the press box, he began drawing. “I made a picture of him smoking Sulpa in a short time and showed it to him,” recalls Ashokman. “I don’t remember what the picture looked like now. But everyone praised it and applauded me. He even gave me 2 rupees as appreciation.”
Receiving praise and money for doing what he loved excited Ashokman. That moment intensified his interest in art. His creative journey, which began with painting, later expanded to photography, graphic design, literature, and Nepal’s unique typography.
The Journey of Professional Photography
His neighbor, Ganga Prasad Baiju (Shreshtha), played a key role in Ashokman’s artistic journey. From the age of 14, Ashokman frequently visited Ganga Prasad’s studio. Witnessing the work there deepened his interest in art. Impressed, Ganga Prasad would ask him to practice drawing at home and taught him how to draw correctly. He also gained hands-on painting experience in the studio. Ashokman later took up photography under Ganga Prasad’s guidance.
However, the studio eventually closed, interrupting Ashokman’s learning for a few years. Ganga Prasad left photography, started working on the highway, and later, moved to Dhangadhi. “He took me to Dhangadhi and continued teaching me photography,” Ashokman recalls.
At 17, Ashokman started his own ‘Ashok Art Studio’ in Palpa. He offered photography, sign art, film posters, and painting services. His studio catered to local clients and projects from outside the district until 2036 BS.
Despite his skills, recognition in Palpa was limited. This motivated him to explore opportunities elsewhere, particularly in Kathmandu. During this time, students from the Fine Arts Campus visited his studio for fieldwork and were impressed by his paintings. Baikuntha Shrestha, one of the students, gave him a visiting card and invited him to Kathmandu.
After this, Ashokman felt compelled to move. In 2037 BS (1980/81 AD), he closed his studio and relocated. “I wanted theoretical knowledge, and Kathmandu offered opportunities. That’s why I came, to study and grow my business,” he recalls.
Entry to Kathmandu and the Beginning of the Design Era
In 2037 BS (1980/81 AD), Ashokman joined Lalit Kala Campus to pursue higher education and a professional breakthrough. He had been working in Palpa to support himself but now he depended on his family to fund his studies. To get out of this, he was looking for work. One day, two visitors arrived at his class. “They said they were from Soaltee Hotel looking for Ashokman Singh,” he recalls. “When I realized they meant a major hotel, I raised my hand, and they followed me.”
They were searching for a designer for the tourism magazine Enjoy Nepal, which Casino Nepal under Soaltee Hotel was launching. Somebody had recommended Ashokman’s name to them.
This marked the official start of his design career, though technology was decades behind. Before computers, all design work was done manually. “Everything was manual, cutting, pasting, making letters by hand, photographing, and assembling layouts,” he recalls.
Nepal lacked high-quality printing presses, so magazines like Enjoy Nepal had to be printed in Singapore or Bangkok. Designers created original artwork locally and sent it abroad.
The biggest challenge was the absence of references. Today, designers can find thousands of ideas online, but back then, every concept had to start from scratch. “Earlier, there were no references. Creating a new idea was a challenge, which encouraged creativity. Now, with so many references, designers must be careful to create something original and avoid copyright issues,” he explains.
Iconic Logo Design of YY and Nepal Electricity Authority
Ashokman worked on Enjoy Nepal for some time. When it closed, it was replaced by Nepal Traveler, where he served as chief designer at Mani Design Studio. “I handled the exterior and interior layouts, ensuring everything was visually appealing,” he says.
During this period, the studio received the task of designing the logo for ‘WaiWai’ noodles. “Since all work, from design to advertisement printing, was done in-house, we received similar projects regularly,” he recalls.
“They gave us a wrapper sample from Thailand. From that, I created the letters ‘WaiWai’ in Nepali and English,” Ashokman says. The process was entirely manual: photographing noodles in a bowl, creating letters by hand, cutting, pasting, and submitting the original artwork.
As an employee, he initially did not receive credit for the logo. “Years later, a student interviewed me, and the topic came up. I visited Chaudhary Group to retrieve the original artwork, but it was missing. Eventually, they recognized me and added my photo, but the master copy was gone,” he says.
He also designed the logo for Nepal Electricity Authority in 2042 BS (1985/86 AD), still in use today. His other works include logos for the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC), Machan Wildlife Camp, Hotel Himalaya, and product designs for Tiger Battery, Everest Toothpaste, and liquor bottles. He also created the hand-lettered headlines for Kamana magazine.
Typography Revolution: From Kamana to Aakriti Font
After nearly seven years at Mani Design Studio, Ashokman started his own publication. “I launched Kamana magazine with a friend around 2041 BS (1984/85 AD). It was Nepal’s second entertainment magazine, but the first in color,” he says.
He recognized the need for diverse and attractive Devanagari fonts for the computer age. Cartoons were also added, sparking his interest in illustration. Today, he is among Nepal’s top cartoonists.
In BS 2052 BS (1995 AD), he created the ‘Kamna’ font in Devanagari, based on the English Bookman format, for use in Kamna, Sadhana, and other daily newspapers. He later developed seven modern fonts: Aakriti, Noorisha Brush Skip, Sadhana, Mahanagar, Kunjan Deco, and Robin Bold, with Aakriti becoming the most popular.
“Aakriti means picture. It represents the shape of the letter,” he says. “It is the first officially registered font in Nepal. I hold the certificate and copyrighted it in 2052 BS (1995 AD).”
All these fonts, initially handcrafted, were digitized in 2054 BS (1997) with the help of his nephew, Kunjan Shrestha, using Fontographer software.
Along with Aakriti, Kamna, Brush Noorisha, and Sadhana remain widely used in Nepali graphic design.
He also created the ‘Bhanu’ font by studying Bhanubhakta Acharya’s original Baansoko Kalam script. His curriculum font is used by multiple government agencies, including the Curriculum Development Center.
On his font creation process, he says, “I manually shaped each character, scanned it, and then traced and set it in Fontographer. Every Devanagari letter and number sequence had to be carefully aligned. Today, some designers modify my fonts and use them under their own names.”
Technological Leaps and Challenges for Designers
During his 50-year career, Ashokman witnessed rapid advances in design technology. The shift from letterpress to upset press improved print quality. Desktop computing and digital design (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign) increased both speed and accessibility.
He embraces technology as a tool but warns against compromising originality. “Today, work must be done quickly, but copying or modifying others is unacceptable,” he says.
He notes that digital tools have caused a decline in hands-on skills. “Today, you can mirror half a logo to finish it. Earlier, everything was handmade. Work is faster, but the joy is lost,” he explains.
He considers AI and the copy-paste culture major threats. AI generates thousands of designs in seconds, risking the loss of originality.
Even now, he manually creates rough master copies of every design, logo, and font. “Rough sketches are essential. They provide proof of creation and reflect the thought process behind the work,” he says.
Advice to the New Generation
Ashokman advises young designers to prioritize originality. “Nepal’s design industry has expanded, and the demand for quality packaging, branding, and typography has increased.”
“Today’s generation has unlimited references online. But these should not make you lazy,” he warns.
“Always create a rough concept first. Technology is only a tool to save and publish your work. Original manual concepts are essential for creativity and documentation,” he emphasizes.
More About Ashokman Singh
Ashokman Singh has illustrated over 400 educational textbooks. He has also produced illustrations for literary works, children’s books, and newspapers for domestic and international publishers.
He runs the Read and Write Publishing House. His books Rang and Graphics Sanchar are highly valued in Nepal’s graphic sector.
His artistic journey began in Palpa with cinema banners, posters, and plan illustrations. In Kathmandu, he designed film posters for Basudev and Mayaprithi, as well as posters for Nepal’s first SAARC Games, National Games, Family Planning campaigns, and Traffic Week.
He designed advertisements for products including Family Planning campaigns and Pashupati Paints.
Active since 2030 BS (1973/74 AD), he has designed covers for more than 100 books, including school textbooks and literary works, and handled layouts for magazines like Farke 10 Dashak for four years.
His packaging design contributions include labels and wrappers for Pooja Soap, WaiWai Noodles, Pashupati Biscuits, and various beverages.
With 26 years of printing experience, he started at 17, trained in offset technology, and mastered all processes from camera work to printing. He also taught Printing Technology at Kathmandu University.
Alongside art, he has a strong literary presence. Author of novels like Patachari and Ma Pani Manche Hun, he has designed and laid out over 200 books, magazines, and catalogues. He is the founding president of Cartoonist Club Nepal and currently serves as an advisor. At 70, he also teaches at the School of Art and Design, Kathmandu University.
पछिल्लो अध्यावधिक: कात्तिक २३, २०८२ १३:५
