This thesis project in type design develops a typeface that translates a long-standing interest in Japanese culture into a multilingual typographic system. Conceived with the intention of sharing elements of Japan’s cultural and visual heritage in an international context, the typeface includes both Latin and Japanese character sets, enabling consistent use across different linguistic environments.
Type design
Type designer
The typeface comprises Latin characters together with hiragana, katakana, and a limited selection of kanji, allowing for a functional yet focused representation of the Japanese writing system.
The design process takes the fluid forms of hiragana as its starting point, drawing inspiration from the stylised depictions of octopuses found in ukiyo-e prints. These curved, dynamic shapes define the initial visual logic of the project. This logic is then systematically adapted and applied to the other scripts—katakana, kanji, and the Latin alphabet—so that each set maintains its structural identity while aligning with a shared stylistic direction.
