Akira Kobayashi
Studied at the Musashino Art University in Tokyo, and later followed this up with a calligraphy course at the London College of Printing. Since May 2001 Type Director at Linotype GmbH. Kobayashi has recently completed the Neue Frutiger type family with close collaboration with the original designer Adrian Frutiger.
Awards: Best of Category and Best of Show for the Clifford typeface in the 1998 U&lc magazine type design competition. 1st prize, text category for the Conrad typeface in Linotype Library's 3rd International Digital Type Design Contest. In the Type Directors Club's type design competitions of 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2007--for ITC Woodland, ITC Japanese Garden and ITC Silvermoon, FF Clifford, Linotype Conrad and Palatino Sans (with Hermann Zapf) respectively.
BITS MMXII Special Workshop
Akira Kobayashi
Narrated by Anuntaporn Chaiwaraporn
May 26, 2012.
1.45 pm. - 5.45 pm.
Alliance française de Bangkok
Available slots : 10 person
BITS MMXII International Conference
Akira Kobayashi
Narrated by Anuthin Wongsunkakon & Wee Viraporn
May 25, 2012.
Afternoon session
Alliance française de Bangkok
“Akko, a new sans serif with robust and friendly look ”
Akira Kobayashi has spent several years working with Hermann Zapf and Adrian Frutiger. The collaborative projects with type giants have produced fine-tuned classics such as Optima nova, Palatino nova, Avenir Next and Neue Frutiger, and some brand new designs such as Palatino Sans. In 2009 Akira Kobayashi started a new Sans Serif family designed from scratch. His goal was a unique typeface family inspired by both industrial type designs such as DIN and types with organic curves such as Cooper Black. The resulted type has an unusual ‘soft-focus’ effect. In his presentation Akira Kobayashi shows its details and explains how his Japanese background influenced Akko’s letterforms.