TDC Medalist 2022: Akira Kobayashi & more pioneering type designers of our times
First awarded to Hermann Zapf in 1967, the TDC Medal recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of typography. The honor represents TDC’s collective gratitude to those who, by their work and talent, have demonstrated the value of typography in communication, community, and culture. For 2022, The Type Directors Club, the world’s leading typography organization, announced Akira Kobayashi, creative type director at Monotype, as this year’s recipient of the organization’s highest honor.
“I was surprised to hear that I had been chosen to receive the TDC Medal, whose past recipients include my heroes in the field of type design. I am deeply honored and humbled to have my nearly 40 years of career recognized in this way,” said Kobayashi. “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all my teachers and colleagues, past and present, for their guidance and encouragement, and to my parents and family for their unwavering support. Without them, I would never have achieved this honor.”
A leading figure in the field, with three decades of experience, an extensive background in Japanese and Latin typeface design, and a deep understanding of calligraphy Akira Kobayashi is a living legend in the industry. Kobayashi released Optima Nova – a modernization of Hermann Zapf’s Optima design – in 2002, and seven years later partnered with fellow TDC Medalist Adrian Frutiger to update his eponymous typeface family, Neue Frutiger. In 2017, he directed the development of Tazugane Gothic, Monotype’s first original Japanese typeface.
Over the course of his career, Kobayashi has designed more than 50 font families including DIN Next and Akko Pro and worked with major brands including Sony, UBS, and Panasonic. One of his latest achievements, working closely with legendary type designer Yukihiro Nakamura, was the release of Shorai Sans earlier this year. Designed to expand horizons within the Japanese-type landscape, Shorai Sans is a companion typeface to Avenir® Next, built to work harmoniously in global designs while preserving the essence of Japanese handwriting.
Kobayashi is a frequent speaker at type conferences and workshops around the world has won numerous awards and has served as a judge in prestigious international type design competitions, including the TDC typography competition in 2004.
“Akira is the epitome of a TDC Medalist: a person who excels in typographic design, and is passionately devoted to fostering creative excellence in the field,” said Carol Wahler, executive director of TDC. “On behalf of the global type community, we are proud to recognize him for his exemplary accomplishments and contributions.”
Kobayashi will be presented with the TDC Medal as part of The One Club for Creativity’s Creative Hall of Fame black-tie induction ceremony, which is a fundraising gala to support the nonprofit organization’s many global diversity and inclusion programs on October 27, 2022.
To honor this special occasion, TDC collaborated with the design tool Readymag on “The Faces Behind Typefaces”, a deep-dive into the impact and legacy of the TDC Medal and past medalists.
The dedicated web project features a selection of insightful conversations about typographers who have made extraordinary contributions to the creative field - Paula Scher, Paul Rand, Gerard Unger, Ed Benguiat, Rubén Fontana, Emigre, and Adrian Frutiger.
Designed in the form of an editorial, The Faces Behind Typefaces coincides with the 75th anniversary of The Type Directors Club. To honor the occasion, Readymag created a web space for meaningful dialogue between generations of typographers, connecting prominent figures in type design.
Designed by Tatiana Egoshina from Readymag, the project consists of seven chapters, in which Sven Lindhorst-Emme talks about Paula Scher's role in type design, Qian Sun reflects on Paul Rand's legacy, Douglas Davis discusses Ed Benguiat's impact on creative fields and this year’s medalist aka Akira Kobayashi reminisces on Adrian Frutiger.
“Adrian Frutiger always explained the most important aspects of type design in simple and plain words. He once said, ‘The whole point with type is for you not to be aware it is there. If you remember the shape of a spoon with which you just ate some soup, then the spoon had a poor shape.’ I also preach this idea: type has to function without being noticed, it relates to aesthetics. So when it comes to type design, I try to be the harshest critic of my work” he writes.
The webpage is typeset in Neue Haas Unica, Linotype’s digital version and expansion of Unica, drawn by Toshi Omagari. Explore the TDC X Readymag project here.
Tags/ monotype, hermann zapf, adrian frutiger, readymag, toshi omagari, type directors club, tdc, tdc medalist, akira kobayashi, carol wahler
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