2026-03-30 10:21 UTC
Preparing for my talk next week at the Fontstand Conference in Berlin!
Yes, the topic is admittedly a bit niche: “Rounded sans in Japan.” I’ll be looking at why rounded sans is so widely used in Japan, and why it carries quite different connotations there – tracing its roots in calligraphy, sign painting, and multiscript typography.
It will be a visually rich presentation, and I hope it offers fresh insights — not only for CJK design enthusiasts, but also for anyone curious about how design and culture intersect.
Here are a few teaser Images!
Replies (4)
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@ShokoMugikura@typo.social 2026-03-30 10:22
Image credits and sources: A spread from from a trade label scrapbook: https://da.dl.itc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/portal/en/collection/ac164701-8637-4ebe-65fa-fcd8427f52d9 Type specimen image: https://archives.ichigaya-letterpress.jp/library/items/196c01948e81 A spread from a senjafuda (Japanese votive slips) scrapbook: https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/2541097/1 Sign painter image: Photograph by the author
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@verbosus@typo.social 2026-03-30 10:56
@ShokoMugikura Can't attend the conference, but would love to see a recording of this talk, Shoko!
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@kupfers@mastodon.social 2026-03-30 12:01
@ShokoMugikura totally the right amount of niche! I very much look forward to it
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@onpaperwings@typo.social 2026-03-30 13:49
@ShokoMugikura Looking forward to it!