Akira Kobayashi “Moji Design Conversation”
Talk Event Vol. 2—Creating a Brand Voice

What existing typeface do you think has the highest degree of perfection?

In Japan, the font used for informational signs on the highways changed to Hiragino Kaku Gothic around 2011. There are actually two version of the “京 (kyo)” character used in these signs. The right side of the photo shows the “京 (kyo)” used in “東京 (Tokyo).” The reason for this is because the rectangle in the center is aligned with the “東 (to)” character in “東京 (Tokyo).” The design guidelines say to use this version in the case of “東京 (Tokyo),” and the other “京 (kyo)” in the case of “京都 (Kyoto).” However, this has gradually been lost, and there are cases in which the left version is used for the situation on the right. That is up to those creating it. In the past, when creating characters manually with reflective tape, I think it was easier to create the “京 (kyo)” on the right where the height of the rectangle is in alignment with the “東 (to)” character. However, because there are two versions of “京 (kyo),” sometimes the wrong one was used like this. Today, as times and technologies have changed and we can create characters digitally, we can now design with attention to fine details. So, the replacing with Hiragino Kaku Gothic is the result of the tendency to select visually well-balanced typefaces over those that are easy to create. What is easy to create and what makes truly easy to read public signs is another story.

Are there points you design differently when creating characters to be used on paper media versus those to be displayed on screens?

I do not differentiate by medium when designing characters. If I did, that would mean all the same for paper, etc., right? Printing on paper with smooth coatings and printing on paper with soft textures is completely different. So, just because it’s paper or just because it’ll be on a screen does not mean there’s a need to differentiate.

How much manpower and time are needed when you create a new typeface?

For any kind of typeface, it generally takes about a half year to create alone. While dividing the work up may reduce the time required slightly, because it takes time to explain and make changes in order to maintain the sense of unity in the design when the work is divided up, working with, say, five people does not mean the time required will be one fifth. Also, when designing a typeface, we may look back and correct characters that we made early on, or make adjustments when looking at combinations. So, it requires hard work and concentration. By the way, in the case of Tazugane Gothic, it took about three years to design the 9500 characters in 10 weights.

What has changed with the times and what has remained the same when working on typeface designs?

I have been doing this work for about 30 years. Something that hasn’t changed is writing by hand. When creating Japanese typefaces at a company called Shaken, the curved parts of characters I wrote freehand using a fine brush. It’s because I had accumulated experience writing by hand that I developed a firm understanding of how the hand moves and became able to produce beautiful curves in any given situation. As for changes with the times, I would say the time it takes for characters I created to be printed. When I was phototypesetting, I had to wait about two months. Now, they can be printed in 0.7 seconds using a printer. Confirmation work to see how a character or characters look when combined with other sizes has become faster, which is extremely helpful. However, type designers have something like a special ability, and are already imaging the sizes the typeface will be used at at the production stage of the process. I think that a person who can create a typeface while imagining how the typeface he or she is designing will look when used at sizes of 1 to 2 mm will be an excellent type designer. Experience is necessary, but so is imagination.

Do you know any jokes that only type designers will get?

Earlier, someone mentioned that something in all capital letters looks loud. When I get an email with something in all capital letters, it feels like something is being shouted. So, there are stories where people say that if you get frustrated, reply in all capital letters (laughs).

What typeface has felt the freshest to you?

My favorite typeface is Cooper Black. I like that it doesn’t look very smart (laughs). When I was in high school, I chose this typeface when I made a poster in the art club. I’ve been writing with it ever since I became interested in lettering. Cooper Black is derived from a lettering artist’s style who worked on signs in Chicago in the United States. It appears superficial but is actually quite deep. The more you look at it, the more style you notice. And yet, it is flexible and has a charming side to it. For example, if you put the words of politicians from around the world to this typeface, I think the world would probably soften a bit. I’d like to see prohibited signs combined with this typeface. Then maybe our world would become a bit nicer place to live. For example, this sign is one that I combined; it doesn’t really exist. But, I’d like to see the world more be something more like this.

As a creator, is there an expert that you trust?

I would say Shoko Mugikura. With Size-specific adjustments to type designers for ragged composition and more, there’s a sense of security when you open what she has put together. She is a Japanese designer, but she studied book design at a university in the UK. Until recently, the idea that one couldn’t understand Western fonts was commonplace. But if you look at the texts that she puts together, you get that sense that even if you do not grow up in an English-speaking country, if you study well you can do it.

I feel a bit uneasy when using new typefaces and tend to select typefaces I’m familiar with. Do you have anything helpful to reference for when selecting new typefaces?

I would say looking very carefully at magazines from other countries. For example, luxurious fashion magazines like VOGUE used to only use formal typefaces, but now there are lots of typefaces in use that resemble scribbling. I think it’s interesting to see these kinds of changes with the times. In any case, it is best to take in lots of information from overseas and to increase the variety of things you are looking at. In Japan, there is a magazine called Typography, which sometimes introduces trends in Western typefaces in the appendix. I think articles like that are a good reference.

Do you think that Japanese graphic designers tend to misunderstand Western typefaces and get locked in to that way of thinking?

If we were bound such that something could only be used here because it is was created in this country, I would say it’s better not to believe in that. For example, in Japan we were often told 10 years ago that because Garamond is a typeface made by a French type designer, it shouldn’t be used in something produced in Italy. But no one in Europe thinks things like that. The same can be said about the creators. If one were to create a typeface to be used in a different language, I don’t think that person needs a perfect understanding of the language in question. When I make a Western typeface, too, I test it by combining it in various languages. But I can’t read them all if I were asked to. Rather, I have a sense of the rhythm of the combined words in my head. If you are confident that it can read, I think that’s enough.

What do you consider important when creating a typeface?

I previously had a very memorable talk with an artist who paints murals of Mt. Fuji in Japanese-style public baths and a musician who plays musical instruments like the Hardanger fiddle. The important thing is that I create without trying to put myself in the work or incorporating my personality in the work—my work is not about the idea of “this is by Kobayashi.” I asked the artist who paints Mt. Fuji in the baths, “Do you try to paint Mt. Fuji in a way only you can? That no one else can copy?” Their response was, “I haven’t thought about that at all.” When I asked the musician, too, “Do you perform by trying to produce your own style as best you can?” They said, “I try to play as close as possible to the way local people play.” Hearing that, I decided I was the same way with typeface design. None of us were thinking about producing our own unique characteristics. To be more precise, this means that we work to not do that, and whatever remains is likely just the right amount of personality from the perspective of others. So, I always work to remove myself from the work.