Japanese Typography

Overview

Our theme this time is Japanese typography. The Japanese writing system is exceptionally diverse. There are kanji -Chinese characters- and there are also hiragana and katakana, two syllabic scripts. All three are used constantly when writing Japanese, and the result is uniquely beautiful. Even people who do not understand the Japanese language simply love the look of Japanese writing. We welcome typeface designer Osamu Torinoumi into the studio to discuss how typeface design is all around us in everyday life, and what the Japanese people think about their remarkable writing system.