Suggestions
Gunnar Vilhjalmsson
Co-founder and Creative Director at Universal Thirst
Gunnar Vilhjálmsson is the Co-founder and Creative Director of Universal Thirst, a type foundry specializing in Indic and Latin scripts.13 He established the company in 2016 with Kalapi Gajjar, whom he met during their studies at the University of Reading.1 Before co-founding Universal Thirst, Vilhjálmsson worked at Monotype in London.1
Universal Thirst, headquartered in Reykjavik and Bangalore, creates distinctive retail and bespoke typefaces for both local and international brands, particularly those doing business in South Asia.34 The foundry focuses on expanding design possibilities for Indic writing systems such as Devanagari, Tamil, Gujarati, Gurmukhi, and Bangla.2
Vilhjálmsson and his team have collaborated with notable clients including Google, Falcon Enamelware, The Gourmand, Icelandair, Frieze Art Fair, and Dishoom.24 Under his leadership, Universal Thirst has launched several font families and a digital journal called The Universal Thirst Gazette, which explores the design cultural history of Indic type and typography.4
