INTRODUCTION

Letters are as much a part of our lives as air, and we use them to understand things as if they were our breath. Just as we find charm in the facial expressions, voices, and speech styles of people we talk to in the real world, there are many possibilities in the expression and delivery of letters. Typeface and typography are such devices about the expression and expression of letters. I would like to explain the basics of European type from now on, aiming to provide a guidebook for those who are interested in fonts and typography, even if they are not involved in design work, to enjoy and deepen their understanding.


What is a type?

Japanese word ‘Oubun-type’ is meaning simply an alphabet .Letters that use Latin alphabet characters, including English and Spanish, are called “Ou-bun” in contrast to Japanese letters “Wa-bun”. And type refers designed to be reproduced by printing, PCs, and other means.There are two main ways humans deal with letters: one is by handwriting and the other is by typing.The difference between them comes down to the difference between writing letters from scratch with a writing utensil and laying out a pre-existing “type of letter”.In Japanese, the word “Katsu-ji” is applied to the noun TYPE, but since “”Katsu-ji”” is often used in a usage limited to printed characters, we dare to express it without changing the word “type” and call it ‘Obun-type’, considering its use in today’s media.


Breaf history of type

I would like to take a moment here to briefly review the history of this typeface.Imagine. We are not very good at imagining what it would be like if we didn’t have it when we are in a privileged situation.We can publish to the world at our fingertips, and more and more of us grew up with it. If you lived through the old technological era, you can appreciate its convenience, but if you have been around since birth, it takes a little more imagination.When there were no cars or railroads, the only means of transportation was walking or horseback riding. It was the only way to get around, so there was no choice. Traveling long distances required many days of travel and effort, and physical limitations always set the limits. There were days of such constant effort in the world of letters.

From Handwriting to Typesetting

Originally, all books were copied by hand. Imagine the tremendous amount of time it took to get every word correct. Imagine if it took 10 or 20 books. Just thinking about it is enough to make you feel overwhelmed. Then someone came up with an innovative method to produce a number of books in a only single effort, and put it into practice. The result was letterpress printing. In letterpress printing, metal type is made one letter at a time and arranged for each sentence, so that once an edition is made, it can be printed and reproduced as many times as necessary, just like a stamp. However, this is not without its difficulties, since it is necessary to make type of different sizes one at a time and to line up the letters one by one, word by word, without fail, when making the plates. However, this invention has greatly advanced people’s communication through letters.

Birth of Type

The art of letterpress printing was invented by Johann Gutenberg in the 15th century.The basic principle of printing is the same as that of prints and stamps. Ink is applied to an inverted plate, which is then transferred to paper. The beauty of Gutenberg’s invention is that he created a modular system in which each letter is contained within a square frame and can be rearranged freely by dividing it into letter units. The metal casting process made it durable, reusable, and capable of printing long texts. This led to a major shift in the production of books from handwritten copying to mechanical copying.

Type Design

After the birth of printing, its importance was recognized and it spread throughout Europe, with each printing house initially producing and using its own type.After a while, some of them became known for their excellent type, and eventually printing and type-making were separated, with type being designed exclusively for this purpose.Many of the classic fonts still in use today bear the names of the type designers who produced the best letters in the metal type era, such as Garamond and Caslon.

Font and Typeface

A font is a set of typefaces of a single size designed to give a uniform impression.A group of fonts of uniform design, including each size font and variations in letter and line widths, is called a typeface or typeface.Initially intended for reading books, typeface was developed with the development of the art of printing, and many designs were created for a variety of uses and rich expression.Later, with the advent of computers, digital fonts became the mainstream for use with screen displays, word processors, and desktop publishing software. In the transition to digital fonts, many of the standard typefaces from the movable type era were also revived, and since they are now standard on computers, many people outside the printing industry have had the opportunity to work with fonts.


What is Typography?

Typography originally refers to the art of arranging type to create a beautifully formed plate, the basis of printing. Typography originated from the idea of creating letters within a square frame and arranging them to form a sentence. The idea of how to form a beautiful text within the constraints of lining up the squares led to its own unique development away from handwritten art.

Ways to Handle Letters

Similarities that deal with the often confusing alphabet include lettering and calligraphy. Briefly, calligraphy is similar to the ancient ‘shodo’ (japanese art of calligraphy), which seeks the beauty of handwritten letters, while lettering is a technique for working with hand-drawn letters that developed as a commercial art. All, including typography, are techniques developed to handle letters beautifully. In recent years, the boundaries between the handling of letters on media have become blurred because design applications can handle both handwritten and typed letters simultaneously using pen-type input devices.

Expressions of typography

The use of letters is communication. It is also done to convey thoughts and feelings through the visual sense.Taking voice communication as an example, we can enrich our expression by making small changes, such as speaking in a quiet voice when telling a secret or using a low voice when telling a scary story. Imagine yourself in a neutral state during a conversation. Suitable voice volume, inflection, and speaking speed. There is individuality, but there are some points that many people share in common in terms of tolerance and the point at which the message is delivered smoothly. And when I think about the direction, I try to express the important parts by making my voice a little louder than that or changing my speaking speed.When we consider typography, we choose a font that is neither thick nor thin, but only appropriate for the neutral state of reading the text, and when we consider direction, we choose a black line thickness that corresponds to the volume of the voice, or a rounded rather than angular font for softness. For a softer voice, a rounded rather than angular font can be used, and for calm speech, a wider spacing between letters can be used. Typography is the art of using type to express richness through differences in shape and arrangement.


In closing

The world of type is closely related not only to bookbinding and graphic design, but also to business and culture, and although it is at the center of our society, if we don’t pay attention to it, it is a mysterious presence that can drift away like the wind. However, once you realize the fascination of type, you will be delighted to see the various expressions of type everywhere, whether in books or on the street. We hope you will enjoy the world of typography through this introduction.