The 23rd Zenji Osaki

2012.03.21

Zenji Osaki has been widely used in the design of books and magazines, as well as the production of original "Tarot decks". He has many successful entries in the "Japan Typography Yearbook" published by the Japan Typography Association, and is also a part-time lecturer at Tama Art University.

In his book "Typography Basic Rules", from the standpoint of a professional graphic designer who is active on the front lines, he explains in detail the techniques to make the characters he/she loves beautiful in every scene. In addition, he is also active as a Type Designers, and he is also working on "Kurokane" provided by the design club of "Fontworks LETS".

This time, we talked about the point of selecting a typeface from the viewpoint of a graphic designer, how to understand "Tsukushi typeface" from the viewpoint of a Type Designers, and "Kurokane" designed by Mr. Osaki.

Does it suit the mood of the words or sentences you want to put together?

As a criterion for selecting a typeface in graphic design, I always think "is it suitable for the atmosphere that the words and sentences I want to put together have?" When it comes to the Text book, I often select and use the typeface I like once.

Recently, "Tsukushi Mincho" is used as the Text of various books because it has a good balance of kanji and kana and is easy to read. The tip of the element and scales have rounded parts, so the processing method gives a soft impression.

In addition, the way the skeleton is taken feels a little like print, but it is not overkill, but it is a new typeface that is warm and old, and its modern appearance also makes it express supple.

Therefore, I like the softness and suppleness of the facial expressions of the letters themselves and the typesetting of the letters. It's also nice that you can use Western texts as they are without having to mix them up with another typeface that has a similar atmosphere.

Things to keep in mind when writing letters

Although it depends on where you use it, I basically try to use the information that the typeface has. Regarding the space between characters, I adjust it when I use it for a Heading or a few lines of lead, but I do not use it as much as possible because I feel that the long and flat characters break the shape of the character. I am.

The thing that can't be entered without such processing is that the design of the layout to be done in advance is broken, so we will revisit the size of the typeface itself.

After that, I sometimes drop weights only for symbols such as angle brackets, or bring another typeface.

書体をデザインの一部としてクライアントに提案

The typefaces used by clients are basically entrusted to us, but there are also people in charge who specify the fonts themselves. In such cases, while respecting the request, we may propose other typefaces that look good.

There is a book called "Takumi of Kawaguchi" who was in charge of design in the fall of 2011, which introduces a "craftsman" who continues to support Kawaguchi City in Saitama Prefecture. Kawaguchi City, which is often seen as a convenient bed town close to the city center, has a history of developing as a “manufacturing town” in its history. Among them, 12 spots of craftsmen were spotlighted and interviewed with local galleries about the way they lived and their attitude toward work.

I have experienced the craftsman's current gaze, posture, and words that have come from a long way, so even when laying out, it is the dignified appearance that expresses those things with the expression of letters. We thought that "Tsukushi Mincho" would be a good idea, so we unified the whole volume into "Tsukushi Mincho". The client, Kawaguchi City, also received a favorable reception, and even when asked by another person, he asked for "This is good for Mincho body again" and "Tsukushi Mincho". is.

What typeface would you like to use in the future?

After all, I would like to use the "Tsukushimaru Gothic" family in the future. Was it the 2008 release? Only B weights for A and B preceded "Chikushimaru Gothic", but at that stage, I thought, "I want you to develop this family quickly!" Seurat I Maru Gothic typeface is large as had up to now, such as reminiscent of metal type, it because the typeface of such expression is was not much.

I think the atmosphere of "Tsukushimaru Gothic" is that it's soft, but it doesn't play too much. It's close to the example of "Tsukushi Mincho", but I'd like to use it for things like "I'm serious, but I'm not stubborn and flexible," or a sentence that expresses it.

About "Kurokane" designed by Osaki

As its name suggests, "Kurokane" is a typeface that is conscious of "blackness". The name derives from the metal "iron". The sharp atmosphere of metal is expressed by dropping the edges of the element "spa". It's a display typeface that's a bit of play, but I'm trying not to make it too hard to read element processing. As a place to use it, "Kana" has a slightly blurry look, so I think that short titles are also where "Kurokane" is.

The production of "Kurokane" was a cycle of drawing and returning.

I think it was around 2003 when I first showed you the design. There were a lot of people who were designing typefaces at the design organization to which I belonged at that time, and it was the beginning that I proposed with a rather light feeling, "I wish I could do such a job." The sample at that time seemed to have less than 60 characters, but thankfully, it was adopted and the long production started.

Until then, I had little experience making typefaces, so I first tried to create and expand according to the general procedure, but I was working on it in the intervals of daily graphic design, so I was totally involved in typeface production. It comes out even when it's not there.

So, let's resume! When I started with, I sometimes forgot my senses and sometimes the center of gravity of the letters changed slightly. Also, I wanted to change the design of the element itself on the way, so I spent a long time doing drawing and returning, then drawing and returning (laughs). I'm still working on a new one, but I try not to open the days too much and just go by a few letters at a time.

What is the "Chikushi typeface" as seen from the Type Designers?

Chikushi is a very nice typeface. Although there are differences in the expression of "Mincho," "Gothic," and "Maru Gothic," there is one sense of unity and it's beautiful.

Right now, I have a desire to create a Mincho body myself, and I am studying with a person, but unlike when using it, when I start "seeing" as a creator, it is a stack of various elements. I feel that I can understand more that this expression is born. After all, I would like to firmly remember the "Chikushi typeface," which is the standard for the next generation.

This time, unlike in the past, we interviewed Mr. Osaki, a designer who can see from two perspectives: the side that uses the font and the side that creates the font. From the angle as a graphic designer, I was able to explain the obsession with design in a very easy-to-understand manner, and I learned a lot. Among them, I felt that the expression "want to settle" used when selecting a typeface was a phrase unique to graphic designers.