Nyala is one of the best-known digital typefaces for Ethiopic script, regularly used by millions of people. The design originated in a research and script documentation project at Microsoft in the late 1990s, beginning with a study of Ethiopic written letterforms conducted by Geraldine Wade.

Beginning in 2003, John Hudson revised the design to ready it for shipping as the first Ethiopic font in the Windows operating system. He regularised the shapes, making them more typographic and less informal. The result is a typeface that sits comfortably within the traditions of the script derived from the heritage of Ethiopian manuscripts, The result is a typeface that sits comfortably within the traditions of the script derived from the heritage of Ethiopian manuscripts, but with lighter strokes, less heavy on the page.

Nyala’s Latin companion is informed by the writing tool and pen angle that characterised the Ethiopic forms, while drawing on parallel European manuscript traditions. This resulted in a Latin typeface that balances exceptionally well with the African script, but it has also enjoyed popularity in its own right, especially in signage and packaging.

For many years, Nyala was the only typeface in Microsoft Windows which supported Ethiopic script. Since the initial release, Nyala has been regularly updated to support Ethiopic characters as they are added to the Unicode Standard. The most recent versions also feature greatly-improved kerning for the Ethiopic script, taking advantage of new tools and workflows.

Nyala is named for the Ethiopian mountain antelope, which coincidentally was also the name of John’s favourite Ethiopian restaurant in Vancouver, BC.

Made by Tiro Typeworks for Microsoft, Nyala is now available under our M‑Product License, enabling webfont, app embedding, and other uses outside Microsoft products. TrueType OpenType format only.