When I design, I maximize readability using the spacing between characters, lines, length of rows, indention, and the whole page layout. I make the hiragana smaller compared to kanji, and katakana smaller than the other two, so the font looks well-balanced overall. When I make my fonts, I replace kanji with □, hiragana with ○, and katakana with △, then adjust their size and center relative to each other. Other characters require such minor adjustments to its size, thickness, and position in order to correct the illusion. For instance, the kanji for mouth “口” appears bigger, so making them smaller is ideal. When you scale the three geometric shapes □△○, the square appears the largest, followed by the circle and the triangle.
Kana is used as suffixes following kanji stems to make them easier to read, but perhaps they also serve the purpose of giving “ma (distance/interval),” or blank space that softens the hard edges of kanji placed close together. However, there is a certain beauty in the way these irregular shapes together give way to harmony. It’s distinct from Latin text in that there is no sense of order or consistency, and it is quite uneven when they’re aligned horizontally. Japanese text is distinctive in that these different shapes exist together in a sentence. Identifying Japanese text is easier if you imagine them having the following characteristics: kanji is structured and mesh-patterned, hiragana is curvy and soft, katakana is simple and triangular. But these very characteristics gave this font an unparalleled uniqueness and flavor that I found to be extremely fascinating. The thickness and size were inconsistent, giving the font an old-fashioned analog feel. It was probably designed to be used for vertical writing because when I aligned them horizontally, there was a slight undulation. The outline of the characters appeared to be drawn by hand, so the lines were not clean. Converting this font to typesetting was a considerable challenge but one which made my work worthwhile and enjoyable. It wasn’t beautiful per se, but it had a certain allure that attracted me. The story of Zen Fonts My encounter with typographyĪ few years after I began my work in typesetting, a certain font caught my interest. Cute and fashionable, soft and easy for any communications. Because of this unique soft impression the thin weight is also easy to use in any scenes. Zen Maru Gothis is a rounded san serif family that gives a soft and natural impression due to the deep rounds in the corners.
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