Development of Printing Typefaces and the Future of Digital Fonts #31 | From Various Examples of Title Typefaces

Up until now, we have mainly looked at text typesetting..
Changing the subject, from here on I would like to talk about titles.

I have been interested in the typeface used for the serial column in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun Sunday edition called "NIKKEI The STYLE".
This column covers a different theme each time, but what is interesting is that until recently, they changed the title typeface to match the theme.
They were even using fonts that I personally would never use.

❶ in Figure 1 is, I believe, a typeface from Morisawa called "Suzumushi".
❷ is, I suspect, "Maru-Mei Old" from Kinuta Font Factory.
❸ is, I think, "Matisse M" from Fontworks.
❹ is, I believe, "Maru Maru Gothic A" from Kinuta Font Factory, but I am not entirely confident about that one.
The final one, ❺, is, I believe, Fontworks' "Tsukushi Antique L Mincho".

A title has a role, so to speak, as a barker to get people to read the text that follows. It catches the reader's eye and encourages them to willingly enter the store that is the "body text."
Therefore, the image of the title must correctly convey the content of the text while also being attractive.

If the title serves this purpose, even if a free font that designers might turn their noses up at is used, that attempt can be called a success.
Also, at that point, that font might be called a "good font".

The essential thing is text typesetting

This is not limited to titles.
Examples of Shaken typefaces I typeset poorly or examples of text typesetting that evoke emotion, body text typesetting also applies.

In other words, whether a font is brought to life or killed depends on the typesetting.
That is why it comes down to "the essential thing is text typesetting".

I think it is about time we discard the term "typesetting," which carries an image of nothing but constraints, and try calling it "character direction" instead.
I feel this sounds much more enjoyable and would lead to better handling of characters.

Come to think of it, characters are called "characters" in English. In a way, one could think of them as "actors."

If we can make the "actors" known as characters shine through the direction of "typesetting," perhaps every font can become a "good font."

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Starting next time, with the theme of "In the Age of Smartphones," we will explore the future of digital fonts as they expand from print use to screen display use.