The Atlanta Hawks’ unparalleled partnership with the estate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the culmination of the MLK Nike City Edition uniforms were years of collaboration. Every single detail on the uniform is intentional and has a story behind it. From the crown and the shield symbol, inspired by Dr. King’s home church, to the Freedom Stars, depicting the times when Dr. King fought for justice and equality. The three iconic initials of Dr. King are embroidered across the front of the uniforms. The name of the font the Hawks chose happens to be Martin, and it was created by Black designer and VocalType founder Tre Seals. Hawks’ digital media assistant Cassidy Allen Chubb talks to Seals about his journey and how his font is being used for a one-off uniform and campaign.

CAC: Were you exposed to black entrepreneurs growing up?

TS: Definitely. It’s in my blood. I was born in Washington, DC and raised on a farm outside of DC that was founded by my great-great-great-grandparents in 1911. My great-great-great-grandmother was the boss. She was on the board of a bank and sold land but only sold to colored people to help them get started. She would lend money to people of color when others didn’t, and she ran the farm. My father got this business mentality from her. I have watched my father and mother run their own businesses all my life.

How did VocalType start?

My journey began when I was four years old when I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Drawing and writing became my means of coping with the pain, and when the tumor disappeared it became my means of expressing what I was feeling as well. So I either drew a lot or practiced italic writing so that my handwriting looked like the sample sheets. I started designing my first font in twelfth grade without knowing how to design a font. But I released it in 2013 and it had 30,000 downloads, so it inspired me to get more and more into typography. I started working for a recruitment agency in DC and one day in 2016 I was working on a brand identity and scrolling to find the perfect font and getting bored. I was wondering if I had chosen the wrong profession because everything looked the same and there was no culture and no character.

It wasn’t long before I found out that 84 percent of all designers in America were white, and it was all areas of design. I realized that when there is a race and a gender there is only one way to learn and think about how things should work. And looking back on all of my racial experiences, I realized that fonts can be more than just a design tool, they can be a tool for forming and sharing stories, and Voice type was born.

How did the opportunity to work with the Hawks come about? Did you create the Martin font specifically for the City Edition kits?

You turned to me. I’ve been a huge Hawks fan for a while, I have a family in the Atlanta area, but Martin was actually the first font I ever did with VocalType. I released it in 2016 and last year it was just crazy with George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor and Martin just blew up. It was on so many protest signs around the world, on street paintings all over America, it was just everywhere. And the next thing I know is the Hawks and they say, “Hey, we want to use Martin for the City Edition,” just because the story behind it is so perfect and he’s from Atlanta.

How is a font created?

The process is pretty much the same. It’s twenty-five percent research, twenty-five percent design, twenty-five percent research, twenty-five percent design, just in case I miss something (laughs). In terms of finding or figuring out what a font is based on, I try to identify a movement and then find a specific event within that movement. And then try to find a typography that multiple people can relate to. So with the Martin font, you’ll find that I never create a font based on a character that a person wore. It could be a mark worn by thousands of people, as in the case of the Martin “I am a man” mark and the “Union Justice Now” mark.

It reinforces that idea of ​​oneness. And then I’ll try to find an activist associated with that movement and event, to wrap it all up and name the font after that. And since the hygiene strike in Memphis was the final reason for Dr. King, it only made sense to name him after him.

What’s the hardest part about being a black designer and business owner? How do you keep overcoming it?

I think the hardest part for me, especially with Vocal – my mission is to diversify the design, which means that fonts are inspired by all cultures, not just black culture. But I feel like I’m speaking on occasions that are all related to being a black type designer, not the fact that I’m trying to give everyone a voice. Like Dr. King was known only for civil rights, though he fought for all of these diverse causes.

What advice would you give black designers who are struggling to break into the industry or feel seen?

The best designers are interested in everything, not just design. I think that’s a big part of my success. But at the same time I want to look back on my time as a graphic designer, I worked with the idea that everything happens for a reason. So every design decision should have a reason. And when you have a reason for every single design decision, you get this beautiful story that can change and make new over time. And I feel that this process has brought me the greatest success of my career.

How do you stay up What are the characteristics of your fonts?

The storytelling aspect of all of my fonts. The cultural relevance that really attracts people, not just the look of the fonts.

What was it like to finally see the jersey in person and on social media?

I honestly don’t think it’s still registered that it actually happened. It was just amazing. Probably one of the greatest projects I’ve used Martin on.

What advice would you give your younger you?

Do not give up. There have been so many times when vocal started and I wanted to stop because there was just no momentum at all. Don’t give up and just stick with it even if people don’t believe in what you are doing. As long as you believe in it, you can be successful.