Fond Aid V: Help for Japan Submissions
March 28, 2011
I’ve always loved what the Society of Typographic Aficionados has done with the Font Aid projects. I think their work is incredibly important, and it’s beautiful to see designers around the world come together for a cause. Ultimately, I feel like it’s our responsibility as artists to come to the aid of those in need.
How many times have you heard designers define graphic design as some variant on the idea of problem solving? What happened in Japan is a problem, and I’ve been really encouraged to see how people in the design community have responded to the disaster.
Otherwise, if we can’t come together to work on a common goal, we’re not a community, we’re a group of individuals.
Submissions
With that, I was grateful to be able to participate in Font Aid V: Help for Japan. I’ve posted my submissions below.Cherry Blossom
It’s spring right now in rainy Seattle, and I’ve seen the cherry trees begin to unfurl, a sure sign of spring. They have always reminded me of Japan, and now their blossoming takes on a new meaning to me. They’ve come to symbolize the healing and rebirth of spring.
Font Aid V: Help for Japan Submission: Cherry Blossom
Kanji
I’ve always been in love with non-Roman alphabets. I was a French Literature major in college, so even when I did learn another language, the letters were the same as those I’d grown up with. But I’ve always had a thing for Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, and other languages with gorgeous scripts.I’ve come to look at languages as a cultural treasure that bring together the inhabitants of a place in solidarity, no matter where in the world they might be. So in tribute to the Japanese people and the Japanese language, I rendered the word “Japan” in Kanji characters.
Font Aid V: Help for Japan Submission: Kanji