Michio Miyazaki
Chiba University Engineering Dept. Grand Fellow
(retired 2006)
LIM Technical Advisor
In various areas of design, there is something called "universal design."
Universal design was first proposed by Ronald Mace as a standard that adhered to seven key tenets, such as safety and ease of use.
Nowadays, there is a boom of universal designs, and with such variety, the original purpose of the concept has been lost.
In recent years, we have seen the sudden rise of the "ubiquitous society" -- one in which computers and information are everywhere.
Society is also aging rapidly, and traditional styles, such as paper printing, do not transfer well to the world of electronics.
Mobile phones and PCs have trouble displaying fonts designed for older media.
So how can universal design apply to the typefaces of our current era?
What does today's society demand?
Let us first consider characters for electronic displays.