Q. Hello! Could you introduce to SandollCloud users?
Hello. I'm , doing font design in Busan. It's already been 2 years since we started selling on SandollCloud. Since there are no major corporations in the region, I mostly get work from the Seoul metropolitan area. Due to the nature of design work, I don't feel particularly constrained by location, which is an advantage. However, if the opportunity arises, I would like to work more frequently with local businesses. It was a proud moment seeing 'VITRO CORE' from 'Haksan', a local company I worked with a few years ago, frequently appearing in YouTube subtitles.
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Q. As your foundry based in Busan, there must be memorable collaborations with local businesses. Could you share what led you to start font design?
In the 90s, Macintosh computers were really expensive. During high school, I had computer graphics classes where I learned Photoshop and Illustrator on an iMac G3. I would present my work and create portfolios afterward. Perhaps that's why I found university-level visual design classes less appealing. It wasn't until my sophomore year when I took a typography course that I felt it suited my aptitude well. Typography plays a foundational and crucial role in visual design, and I wanted to excel in it. The fact that it's content used by every designer was also appealing—it's like being the designer's designer. I created a font for my graduation project, which solidified my career path in this direction. Nowadays, there are various ways to learn font design, but back then, I remember feeling overwhelmed because I didn't know where to start and lacked proper tools.
Q. I deeply resonate with the expression "designer's designer." It seems like font design really suits your aptitude, as evidenced by the nine new fonts you've released in just two years since joining SandollCloud. Do you have any quick production tips that are unique to ?
When I was working at companies, I didn't have the opportunity to create many fonts directly. Instead, I worked extensively on bitmap, mobile, hinting (screen fonts), Chinese characters, and multilingual projects. After leaving my job and learning font production methods from developers, I gained the ability to handle everything related to fonts—planning, designing, and production. Since creating a single font can take quite a long time, reducing production time was crucial for me. Drawing from past experiences using scripts and macros, I've set up an optimized working environment tailored to my needs. Whenever repetitive tasks arise, I start by asking, "How can I streamline this?" Sometimes I create scripts for simple tasks or make heavy use of keyboard shortcuts. Given the thoughtful nature of font design, I often brainstorm ideas for the next font while working on current projects, sometimes sketching concepts or not, depending on the situation. I typically conceptualize around ten fonts and adjust the production order based on priority.
Q. I'm already curious about these ten candidates. Where do you primarily draw inspiration for your next projects?
South Korea is highly sensitive to trends and has a strong inclination towards social validation. As a result, once something starts trending, there's a strong psychological urge to hop on board and experience it firsthand. In terms of leading and showcasing design trends, I believe K-POP stands out the most. Recent idol groups have distinct logos akin to brands, and they create custom lettering for album titles and track lists that reflect the essence of each song. I tend to monitor trends closely, particularly those driven by major entertainment companies, to grasp the current direction.
Q. Now, let's delve a bit deeper into fonts. Could you tell us about the "Calligrapher" series, one of 's popular fonts?
While creating the "Pocheon Makgeolli," a dedicated typeface for Pocheon City in Gyeonggi-Do, I discovered the joy of calligraphy. It was challenging due to the unique texture of handwriting. However, what made it fascinating was the freedom to create without comparing or adhering to predefined structures, unlike other letterforms. Unlike calligraphy or hand-drawn scripts, fonts come with many constraints. They need to be consistent in size and alignment, and the spacing constraints limit their fluidity since you don't know which letters will appear on either side. The "Calligrapher" series is an experimental result aimed at technically overcoming such limitations.
「Pocheon Makgeolli」
Q. You've been expanding the "Calligrapher" series with releases up to "Calligrapher 3" recently. Could you please introduce the characteristics or distinguishing features of each font in the series, from 1 to 3?
"Calligrapher" 1 simply utilized OpenType features to substitute characters. In "Calligrapher" 2, I introduced variable fonts, allowing adjustments to position, size, and length using a slider bar. "Calligrapher" 3 was designed to manipulate angles and slants from the base form, offering users the ability to customize the inclination to their preference. Normally, characters tilt in one direction, but I wanted to experiment with allowing users to adjust this according to their taste. While maintaining a similar overall framework across the series, I focused on distinguishing them through specific details. "Calligrapher" 1 has a straight, neatly written feel, while 2 incorporates curves for a smoother look, and 3 features twisted ribbon-like curves. I'm uncertain how far the series will expand in the future, but personally, I'd like to create up to ten installments if possible.
Q. It's exciting to wonder how far the series will go. "Calligrapher 3" stands out as a large family font with a total of 16 styles, including variable fonts for thickness, slant, and angle axes. Did you encounter any challenges in the process of creating variable fonts?
Variable fonts allow multiple font styles to be housed within one font file. However, creating a single variable font requires producing numerous characters. "Calligrapher 3" Variable includes a total of 24 fonts, making it one of the most mentally taxing and challenging tasks I've undertaken. This is because any issue found requires simultaneous adjustments across all 24 fonts. With 2,350 characters per font, that totals 56,400 characters across all 24 fonts. Compatibility issues during font export added to the difficulty. While it's complex to produce, it's a highly convenient feature from a user perspective, especially when many styles are created. The reason there aren't more is likely due to higher production costs versus the potentially lower profitability from selling at a single font price point, which consumers might perceive as expensive.
Tip! How to use Variable Fonts
Variable fonts consume a lot of CPU, GPU, and memory card performance. Because they dynamically output changing coordinates and shapes to the monitor in real time, there can be issues such as stuttering or lag during slider adjustments. The problem is less noticeable with fewer characters but worsens as the number increases. This issue can be more pronounced on high-resolution monitors. To mitigate this, it's advisable to work with only the necessary characters in variable format. For larger sets of characters, rather than dragging sliders, clicking specific intervals or directly entering values in the input box on the right can be more effective.
Q. Could you give us a sneak peek of your most recent font release and any upcoming fonts in the pipeline?
「POP」
Given that 's subscriber base consists largely of individual users rather than corporations, I felt the need to create a font specifically tailored for them. Thinking of small-scale businesses and self-employed individuals, I conceived the "POP" font. The characters in "POP" are designed with overlapping strokes to create a sense of depth often achieved through varying thicknesses. I avoided plain straight-line designs and, inspired by requests for cloud-like lettering, crafted one variant with a cloud-like feel.
「Orchestra」
Currently in production is a font called "Orchestra," evoking gestures of a conductor's hand movements. It seems fitting for applications where sophistication is emphasized, such as advertisements, performances, exhibitions, and product packaging. I typically monitor demand from designers, noting a preference for characters with intricate, twisted curves often seen in advertisements. However, fonts, unlike lettering, often need to handle a large number of characters, and excessive stylistic features can lead to increased fatigue and a sudden drop in readability. We are researching ways to address this to enhance usability. Keep an eye out for "Orchestra" upon its release.
Q. I'm looking forward to seeing your upcoming fonts! Besides those, do you have any fonts from , available on Sandollcloud, that you'd specially recommend?
「CobaltBlue」, 「AngledPen」, 「Calligrapher 2」 (source: JYP Entertainment)
Recently, the K-pop group Stray Kids used "Cobalt Blue," "AngledPen," and "Calligrapher 2" in their YouTube contents. These fonts are suitable for video subtitles as they are not overly stylized. In web entertainment programs, you often see dozens of fonts used, which can appear chaotic and lack consistency. Therefore, it's recommended to use a minimal variety of fonts even in video subtitles.
「Calligrapher」 (source: Modern House Instagram), 「DancingQueen」 (source: EaglesTV YouTube)
On Modern House's Instagram, "Calligrapher" was used to showcase emotive interior examples. For thumbnail images and when aiming for emphasis and dynamic feels, I recommend "DancingQueen." It gained popularity after being featured on the Hanwha Eagles' YouTube channel, 'Eagles TV.'
Q. This has been our first interview with Joonfont, and we've had many questions. Thank you for your thoughtful answers throughout. Lastly, could you please share a message with Sandollcloud users?
I've heard from the Sandollcloud team that many users applied for our free trial offer when we first joined. While I can't thank each of you individually, I deeply appreciate the interest you've shown and your continued support since then. I always ponder over which fonts to create to avoid disappointing you. It's a balance between fonts I want to make and fonts you, our users, would appreciate. Up until now, we've focused on expanding our collection with safe choices, but moving forward, I'd like to explore more experimental fonts that we haven't tried before. Please continue to support us in the future!
