ITC Kahana As if gliding in on the tide, ITC Kahana floats across the page with the pulse and sway of the sacred Hawaiian hula dance. The original drawings for this display typeface were created while designer Teri Kahan lived in the Aloha State, and its bold verticals symbolically convey the power and strength of the Polynesian people.
Kahan has spent most of her life working with letters. She discovered Speedball lettering pens in her teens, opened a design studio that specialized in the lettering and calligraphic arts while in her early twenties, and grew her business in California and Hawaii. Today, she embraces new design challenges and digital technology, but letters are still at the core of her work.
In ITC Kahana, Kahan created a design that is both distinctive and versatile. Menus, posters, display headlines, packaging and brochures fall easily within this typeface’s range. And the word “kahana” is more than just a namesake: in Hawaiian, “kaha” means “to mark, draw, place, turn or surf,” and “na” means “belonging to.”
ITC Kahana also includes an enchanting decorated alphabet in the lowercase position that expands this typeface’s usefulness to the designer.