Park Min-gyu

Part 0. Designer Introduction

Q. Hello, nice to meet you Designer Park Min-gyu! Could you briefly introduce yourself?

I'm Park Min-gyu, making fonts. I ponder what makes a good font, and create fonts based on those thoughts.

Q. Pondering what constitutes a good font always seems like a difficult and profound question. Let's discuss further to understand better. First, was there a particular moment that made you start font design?

As I used Hangul fonts, I felt an unfamiliarity different from the Latin fonts I was accustomed to.
So I thought I should make Hangul fonts myself, and that's how I started font design.

Q. I imagine it's because Latin writes horizontally based on the baseline, while Hangul groups letters vertically aligning to the center or top. Could you explain more specifically? What unfamiliarity did you feel?

Yes, when mixing Hangul and Latin, there is definitely an awkwardness from the different baselines. But what felt most unfamiliar when I used Hangul fonts was the counter space. For Latin, it's relatively easier to visually design similar counter spaces structurally. For Hangul (especially sans serif fonts), there are so many consonants, vowels, and syllable combinations, making it difficult to visually harmonize the counter spaces. So when I typeset sentences or paragraphs in Hangul fonts, it didn't feel harmonious.

Q. Your starting point for font design seems quite unique - observing Hangul from the familiarity of Latin alphabets. It felt really interesting. What would be the keyword to introduce your brand?

Personally, I like body text fonts with a neat and stable impression. These days I'm learning that the neatness seen in Latin is different from the neatness that can be expressed in Hangul.

Q. [Balance Game] If you had to choose between only using fonts you created for life OR only using fonts created by others, which would you choose?

Only using fonts I created for life!! I'd be curious to see how fonts I made are actually used.

Part 1. Introducing the "Park Min-gyu Typography" Font

Q. I'm curious about how "Park Min-gyu Typography" got started.

As mentioned initially, "Park Min-gyu Typography" is a font I made feeling an awkwardness from the crowded counter spaces of sans serif Hangul fonts contained tightly within rectangular outlines. When drawing "Park Min-gyu Typography", I was accustomed to Latin fonts and it was my first time dealing with Hangul, so the counter spaces of the boxy sans serif Hangul fonts didn't seem harmonious. "Park Min-gyu Typography" is a font embodying those concerns.

Q. Why did you name the font "Park Min-gyu Typography"?

I felt burdened putting my own name on a font, but since it started from my own handwriting without any outside reference material, I thought "Park Min-gyu Typography" was a fitting name.

Designer Park Min-gyu's original handwriting that became the basis for "Park Min-gyu Typography"

Q. Using your own name for the font makes it feel even more personal. What are the key features of "Park Min-gyu Typography"?

"Park Min-gyu Typography" is a condensed font with a narrow width around 700-900 units. The horizontal and vertical strokes are designed to appear visually similar. With its straight stroke shapes, it gives a neat impression. And since it was designed around 8-11pt sizes, it is more suitable for body text use.

Early sketches for "Park Min-gyu Typography"

Q. What area did you struggle with the most when designing it?

Structurally, the consonants are designed small, so when typeset into paragraphs the lines looked shaky and the components (initial consonant, vowel, final consonant) looked scattered. I wanted to fix this but couldn't find a perfect solution. However, when I connected the strokes between consonants and vowels or vowels and vowels, the lines felt more stable and the letters didn't look scattered. (e.g. 나, 틱, 화...)

Design of "Park Min-gyu Typography"

Q. I can't fathom how much thought must have gone into making "Park Min-gyu Typography". I was surprised you candidly mentioned not finding a perfect solution. In that case, how would you recommend using this font?

It would be good to use it with line lengths around 20-30 characters, sized 8-10pt. It would also suit magazines or catalogs well.

Sample setting of "Park Min-gyu Typography"

Part 2. Designer's Thoughts

Q. Thank you for sharing the story of "Park Min-gyu Typography". Now I'd like to hear your personal thoughts as a designer. As you mentioned in your introduction, what makes a "good font"?

A good font seems to be one that fulfills its intent and has been refined to completion.

Q. In that case, what does it take to become a font designer? If you could give fellow and junior designers a word of advice?

It would be good to familiarize yourself with fonts by looking at many references, and use fonts you think are good in-depth. That will naturally form criteria for what makes a good font, which can then be naturally reflected when you design fonts yourself.

Q. Is there anything you hope for as a font designer?

I hope to make good fonts that further enrich Hangul font culture both quantitatively and qualitatively.

Q. Could you share any upcoming font release plans?

Currently I'm working on a serif body text font. I want to make one without any special character that can be used for various print body text, but it's not as easy as I thought. Later I also want to derive weight variants for "Min Gothic" and "Park Min-gyu Typography" (one lighter, one bolder weight).

Sample use of "Min Gothic"

Part 3. SandollCloud Release

Q. Why did you choose to release on SandollCloud, and a few words on your impression?

The appeal of SandollCloud is that it's a platform users can easily access and conveniently use, where you can encounter good fonts all at once.

Q. A word for the customers awaiting (welcoming) Designer Park Min-gyu's font on Sandoll?

I will strive to make good fonts. Please support me ^^