11.29.2010
Really nice thoughts on the Type Sketcher project from Akira Kobayashi, the type director of Linotype.
I got to spend some time with Akira last month one-on-one for the first time. We’ve been in contact for a few years, as I interviewed him for PingMag ages ago, as well as for my book, Parallel Strokes. We met up at TypeCon in Los Angeles earlier this year, then finally sat down and chopped it up in Ebisu a few weeks ago. He brought along an original print that uses Caslon’s O.G. grotesk for discussion, and we talked about the state of typography and typographic education in Japan.
A few days later, I caught his presentation on Japanese folks working in the arts and industry of lettering and type design outside of Japan at Aoyama Book Center. It was quite engaging- covering the work of Kunihiko Okano and a number of others.
I can’t emphasize how important Kobayashi-san is as a connecting force in the world of graphic design- he brings people together from all over the world with a maximum of kindness and openness. Japan needs more informal ambassadors out in the world to help push design and design education.