We started using LETS in 2008 when we moved our production environment to Mac OS X. We asked the sales company to install all the machines and software for us, so we installed LETS as recommended at that time. However, we were already using "Rodin" and "Matisse" from Fontworks' Packaging products, so we were able to continue using the fonts we were familiar with.

Since introducing LETS, the range of fonts we can use has expanded. Most of our productions are outsourced, but the Bijutsu Shuppan BSS Catalog, which I will talk about next, contains about 21,000 products, so we produce it in-house to be able to respond immediately to detailed editing such as changes in specifications and improvements to product descriptions.

Actually, the distribution channels of "teaching materials" handled in this catalog are a little special, and they are rarely found in ordinary shops. For this reason, it is difficult for the customer to directly check before purchasing, but many customers place great importance on the material and texture of materials for crafts and art.

Due to such needs, many people want to know the detailed specifications as much as possible before purchasing, but apart from Contact Us, basically you can make decisions based only on the contents published in this catalog. It has received.

Many of the products we handle are in competition with ours and other companies, but in order to differentiate ourselves from other companies and make our products more appealing, we describe the detailed product characteristics and related information as much as possible. And I try to make it easier to imagine the real thing.

If you do so, the amount of text will naturally increase, so we will devise the way the information is displayed by taking into account pagination and the layout of product images, but be careful about using "a font that can be read easily". I'm waiting.

As a result of doing so, the amount of text naturally increases, so we devise ways to present the information by considering page layout and the placement of product images, but we also pay particular attention to using fonts that are easy to read.
Rodin (catalog font)
In our case, we wanted to use a font that emphasizes readability rather than a font that looks good, so we use the square gothic font "Rodin" for both Heading and Text. "Rodin" has a design that gives an impression of airiness in the appearance of kanji and kana, so we use it in different weights not only for long sentences but also for places with less text.

For example, although it is a very basic usage, I use "Rodin-DB" for Heading and "Rodin-M" for Text to create a sense of unity and adjust the display size to create a balance. I like that even when using a long font due to space restrictions, the clean impression that is characteristic of Rodin remains unchanged.

Before arriving at the current "Rodin" style, the Text font has changed many times, from Mincho to Gothic and then to another Gothic, but the fact that they have continued to use "Rodin" for over 10 years is probably due to its ease of reading. However, if I were to be greedy, I would be even happier if there were variations or fonts of Rodin that were "premised on using elongated fonts" to make effective use of small spaces!

This is a sample design material for a lesson in the technique called "tenshi" that carves stones to make stamps. We mainly use elementary and junior high school students to use the products, so we have many promotional materials that we produce based on the materials according to the lesson content and the request that "I would like a sample like this". ..

I, who created this material, also had the experience of engraving classes when I was in junior high school, and at that time, I felt that "I would like to model a more Hanko typeface than the one you often see if you carve it." It was an opportunity to adopt the typeface of “Shirafune LETS *”.

This sample has the aspect that the typeface itself is the content, and I was worried about the permission side, so I consulted with Fontworks. Then, since it is provided as a printed material rather than being distributed as a digital font and is mainly used as a school teaching material, it has been approved that there is no problem in using it, and you can cooperate with us. It was.

Since there is a font maker's backing, let's make it sticky! As a result, I often engrave names in the engraving class, so I decided to carefully select and list the characters that are often used in personal names, instead of simply arranging the kanji in character code order.

When I created the first edition, I used the “Shirafune Kasho” and “Shirafune Reisho”, but the following year it was so popular that it was reprinted. The appropriate "Shirafune bone" has been replaced with the "Shirafune slave book". This is a message secretly from the production side that "I would be glad if someone could learn something from the typefaces that can understand the origin of the kanji and the typefaces that make you feel the tradition." Lol)

In recent years, less class time has been allocated to drawing and art, so when creating promotional materials and materials, those that can help teachers improve the quality of their lessons are used. I make this work with the goal of creating something that children and students will be able to learn while having fun.

After the production of this material, the sales of the engraved teaching materials increased significantly, so I think that the sales promotion effect was great. I think that one of the reasons for our success is the cooperation of Fontworks, which has a large lineup of fonts, to make it into a very high-quality promotional material.

* The “Shirafune LETS” that had been contracted as an option can be used as a basic set of “LETS” from January 2014.

In addition to the fonts provided in "LETS", I really use the plugins for Adobe Illustrator.

Many of the products in the catalog do not have a JAN code originally. The JAN code is required when managing products, but products of manufacturers that do not have this code may be assigned and managed by our code. At such times, I use the JAN code creation tool "LETS JAN Code *" of the Adobe Illustrator plug-in to create JAN barcode labels.

This is because when we were about to start managing JAN code, we asked about how to use it by visiting user Support. Nowadays, I'm using it so much that I can't let it go. To make it easier to handle, we have recorded input macros on the function buttons of the pen tablet we are using!

* LETS is a Support tool for designing a wide variety of contents. LETS Power Up Tool Kit", Is provided free of charge to LETS members.

All of the promotional materials and catalogs I've talked about are paper media, but recently, more and more people are using electronic terminals to research things rather than paper. Still, I think that paper is a medium that never goes away so easily. Perhaps it will continue to exist for a while, especially in media such as catalogs, so that people who use it can immediately see it and write additional information like a memo.

However, in the future, I think it will be necessary for any industry to respond flexibly to the times without relying on only one medium. With that in mind, it will be necessary to focus not only on the media that appeals here, but also on media such as the Web that are suitable for people to search for. I think it will take some time for this system to be built, but I don't think we should be satisfied that we can simply read it and see it.

Therefore, when I want to pay attention to the appearance, I think that being able to use the same fonts on paper and on the Web is a strength of being a "LETS" user. First of all, I think that it will be adopted from independent things such as Event planning pages, but by using Web fonts, we are trying to transmit information that makes us feel more like an art publishing service center than ever before. I want to come.