In this section, we will focus on the new "LETS" typefaces released in the same year, and tell you about the background to the typefaces' creation and the story behind their creation from the perspective of the font designer.
This time, we interviewed font designer Yoshiharu Osaki about "Aokane-EB" from the Fontworks Collection (Design Club*), a new typeface from "LETS" released in February 2015. In addition to "Aokane-EB", Osaki also designed the popular typeface "Kurokane-EB", which is widely used not only in paper media such as book titles and Advertisement Heading, but also in television subtitles for variety shows and smartphone App. We asked him about "Aokane-EB" and the birth of "Kurokane-EB", his memories of the production, and his feelings after completion.
*Design Club is a category of a series that brings together unique typefaces designed by up-and-coming Type Designers are breaking new ground in genres and produced by Fontworks.
About the new font "Aokane-EB": its origins and concept
First of all, please tell us about the new typeface "Aokane". "Aokane" is your second work following the release of "Kurokane". What was your intention in creating this typeface?
I've always liked thick typefaces, so I was thinking of making a thick typeface next time. "Kurokane" had a "jerky" feel to it, so I wanted to create something that made use of curves, and so I started working on "Aokane".
The font looks plump, but the skeleton of the letters is straight, so the concept is "hard but soft". As for the design of the elements that make the letters easy to understand, I initially thought I would let Weight vary freely for each individual letter. As long as the overall blackness was right, I thought that would be fine.
So in the sample stage, there was some variation in the parts that had the same processing, but when I thought about characters with a lot of strokes and the need to unify the design processing of elements, I thought "it's interesting, but maybe it won't work", and although I felt a little sad to leave it, I kept the original concept and refined it, settling on the current design.
"Aokane" was completed with that idea in mind. Where do you think it is suitable for use?
I created it to have a rounded and soft impression, so I think it's a font that gives the viewer the impression that it gently wraps around the words. In terms of usage, I think it would be suitable for places where it can be displayed in a slightly larger size, such as titles and copy, just like "Kurokane".
However, once a font is released to the public, it often finds itself being used in ways the creators never imagined, so I'm looking forward to seeing how "Aokane" will be used in the future.
The very first sample we made (photo). Even with the same vertical line, there are considerable changes depending on whether it is on the radical or side, or whether it has many or few strokes. The hiragana characters also had more volume overall at first, but in the end, they all settled on a unified look.
Feelings when I found that the designed font was used
Could you introduce what kind of usage it is, when it is said that "the happy usage that the creator never thought of"?
Osaki mainly uses Adobe Illustrator to create fonts. He says that the feel of Illustrator's Bezier curves, which he is familiar with from graphic design, is the best. He manages each section of the code table in an AI file, and compares and checks the darkness of the font. Finally, he pastes it into Fontgrapher and adjusts it.
The first thing is that "Kurokane" is used in smartphone App. This is often seen in commercials, so many people may already know about it.
I created "Kurokane" because I thought it would look good on short sentences like the title, but I was surprised and really happy to see that it was being used for all text displayed. I think the reason why people are now searching for font names online is largely due to the influence of this app.
It's that popular puzzle game! What kind of font is "Kurokane-EB"? If you give it as an example when someone asks you, it's so famous that people will immediately understand. Please tell us if you have any other stories.
Yes, "LETS" users are diverse, from paper media to Video, so I think that we naturally have more opportunities to see it in our daily lives, such as in flyers and on TV. When I find it, I'm happy to see that it's being used.
For example, I happened to pass by a passageway connecting the JR and subway ticket gates at Ueno Station in Tokyo, and came across Advertisement for a zoo (?) that used "Kurokane". It had "Panda" written in large letters, and I thought, "That's a copy that really represents the design of Kurokane."
It was an escalator, but when I found a "Kurokane" like that, I stopped and looked at it (laughs).
Until the design of "Kurokane-EB" was made
I heard that there were many twists and turns before the release of "Kurokane". You were originally a graphic designer and later became a font designer, but how did you become a graphic designer?
To tell the truth ... I didn't have a strong desire to “become a graphic designer!”, But I feel that I can move on as I am interested and reach the present. I used to work in a bookstore a long time ago, and then I started to be aware that some people were making these kinds of books while looking at books of various genres.
Furthermore, while I was listening to the bookstore, a student attending a vocational school of art was working part-time, and there was a school studying the world and book design. , I became interested in making it. It seems fun to study.
Then I quit the bookstore, but after all I didn't go to school because of various reasons, I suddenly searched for a place where I could work, put it in a typesetting shop who is lucky and work as a typesetting operator while doing delivery and character input. I started. Fonts It was fun with the book and the designer's designated paper, the first experience.
Not long after, most of my work started on the Mac, and I started to use both. As for the work content, I think that I should do design as well because of lack of manpower on Mac. After that, the company I worked for disappeared, but I couldn't even throw out the work of the series book I was in charge of at that time, so I became independent.
So if you notice it, are you a designer? Like It was a strange feeling. So, at first, I was embarrassed to say that I could call myself this title.
After that, what happened before you released "Kurokane" from Fontworks as a font designer?
FOG file of "Kurokane". "Kurokane" was created in order starting from "亜" of Asia in JIS level 1. As the production proceeded, the same "radical" continued, as seen in "I = person radical" in JIS level 2, and it was felt that it was necessary to adjust the design again.
When I first encountered phototypesetting, I was surprised to see that there were so many typefaces when I saw the sample book. The impression of the same message changes depending on the typeface used. The role of typefaces is amazing, and letters are amazing. In the midst of all this, I learned about an activity that was "creating about 1,000 characters and selling them as fonts," and I thought lightly, "Maybe I can do this too?" and participated. So this was the original trigger for me to create a typeface.
So, I started, but I didn't know how to make it (laughs). All I knew was that "since there are radicals and side characters, I just need to combine them to make it," and I started drawing the characters from the beginning of the character code I was given, but even though it was only 1000 characters, I was overwhelmed by the number. Also, the element processing of the characters was not consistent, and when I had days in which I couldn't create because of other work, I wanted to change the balance of the characters I had made before, so I went back to the beginning again, and it was just endless. Finally, I gave up and decided to make a design concept that made use of the unfamiliarity! (laughs).
However, thanks to this activity, I thought, "I wish I could make typeface production my profession," and so I was introduced to Fujita-san (FW's font designer), and we started presenting and producing "Kurokane."
The first way I made it wasn't good, so I decided to make "Kurokane"! So I started making it while trying out different Weight standards and classifying characters, but as I was well into the production, someone told me a tip on how to make it. So I tried that method on a whim, but I got stuck in a huge loop and it was really hard (laughs).
What exactly was that magnificent loop?
"Kurokane" is the first typeface I created up to 9,354 characters in the [Adobe-Japan1-3] standard. While I tried various settings and character classifications, I basically started by drawing the first character in the code table, which is the same method I had used up until then.
Therefore, when [JIS Level 1] was finished, we moved on to [JIS Level 2], but since Level 2 is arranged by radical, we continued to create characters using those radicals. Then, we became more conscious of the balance between the radicals and the side characters than in Level 1, and we began to see things that we hadn't seen at first. So, in the end, we decided to make corrections to the design and balance of some of the radicals, and started working on Level 1 again, which was supposed to be finished... This is a grand loop (bitter smile).
It was a painful experience, and it took me five years to complete it (laughs). Since then, I've made it a rule to first create the second level, which I don't use very often, to get a good feel for it, and then create the first level, which I use frequently.
It's a daunting task just to think of creating all 9,354 characters by yourself. While thinking about the structure of the design, ... Would you show me a rough sketch of those days?
For some reason, I couldn't find any sketches of the Japanese text, so I'll show you a rough sketch of the Western text for "Kurokane". I was pretty free with the Western text, but for me, it's not a Language that I normally use in conversations like Japanese, so there were quite a few parts that didn't come together well, and I got advice from a lot of people and somehow I was able to make it into a shape.
I also created Greek and Cyrillic characters, and through this production I was reminded that in Japanese typeface production, it is really necessary to create a large number of character types.
"Kurokane" was created with the hope of creating a font with strong, catchy characters, so seeing how widely it is being used makes us feel that it is a great success for our company, the font's releaser!
So, my last question is, what kind of fonts do you plan to create in the future?
I am so happy that "Kurokane" has become so popular that it has become a natural part of my daily life. I never expected it to become like this, so I am really surprised.
As for the future, as I said at the beginning, I prefer thicker weights, so if I were to make one, I think that would be the direction. "Aokane" was a fairly uniform design, so next time I think it would be better to make something more free and casual. I think that the task of creating all the characters by myself is a "special opportunity" that not everyone can experience, so I would like to continue working hard on it, but right now I'm making one typeface every five years, so maybe I should speed up my production a little (laughs).
Yoshiharu Osaki Profile
Graphic designer and Type Designers.
Born in Saitama Prefecture in 1973. He designs a wide range of characters, from typographic works using letterpress printing to original Japanese typefaces.
He has published "Basic rules of typography" and "Basic rules of layout".
LETS members introduce the places where "Kurokane-EB" is used and how it feels to use
Used when making Advertisement and leaflets for bakeries. The thick and rounded design has a different color scheme to create a softer impression.
Used in Advertisement that appeal to workshops for children. The design, like cutting and pasting paper, has a handmade feel and is perfect.
Used in posters for mecha Event announcements. Aiming for a design that will be familiar to families, the font is decorated to create a tin feeling.
Used for food Packaging. With a fresh design that is different from Mincho and Gothic, it is highly evaluated by consumers.
Used for souvenir Packaging at theme parks. There is softness and playfulness in the click, and it goes well with the image character.
Used for stamps used in free call and email applications. Even if you use the design as it is, a short phrase with high impact will be completed.
