Showa University of Music, which has as its founding principle "human education of courtesy, etiquette, and skill" and cultivates musicians with high character and communication skills,UD font plan for public organizationsofBusiness PCs for faculty and staffIt has been introduced to the following.
This time, we spoke with Vice President and Director of Planning and Public Relations Shimohachikawa, Head of the Junior College Music Department Mitsubori, and Irie and Arisaka from the Planning and IR Office of the Planning and Public Relations Department about the background and thoughts behind the introduction of the system, as well as its future use.
The activity of "organizing information, standardizing it, and communicating it to others" is compatible with the school's policy.
Mr. Shimoyagawa"I myself have been involved in public relations work for a long time, so I have always been aware of the importance of fonts in communicating information. Morisawa's UD (Universal Design) fonts areUse it to communicate things accuratelyThis is something that is very clear, and I think that is a great thing. This way of thinking is something that is necessary in both work and education.
Our school is currently involved in a variety of musical genres, but we are a school that basically started out with Western music (classical music), whereCommunicate matters logically and systematicallyFor example, Japanese and Middle Eastern music is very intuitive, and I don't mean this in a bad way, but there are some aspects that are left up to the performer, as it is sometimes unclear how to reproduce it just by looking at the score, but in Western music, the pitch and rhythm are clearly written in the score, so there is a strong demand to play it faithfully.
Organizing and standardizing information and communicating it to peopleOur school educates students to be very particular about these activities, so we felt that UD fonts were a great fit in that sense, which led us to introduce them."
Creating an environment where each student can learn easily
Mr. Mitsubori"In my previous job as a high school teacher, I realized that as the number of students requiring various special considerations increases, each student has a different perspective.
Some students can read without any problems, but others may have visual difficulties.Fonts should be easy to read and used by as many people as possible.Furthermore, I feel that this is not just something that applies to universities, but that in the future, this kind of thing will be necessary from an even younger age in the educational field. It is with this in mind that I supported the introduction of UD fonts.
Previously, it was on my PCUD Digital Textbook FontHowever, since Morisawa's UD font plan was introduced,When creating materials for classes, you can choose from a variety of options.The right person in the right placeYou can now choose the fontWe also pay careful attention to the layout and design, and make sure that it is visually appealing."
Creating documents that are in line with the feelings of the recipient
Mr. Shimoyagawa"I myself am currently experiencing presbyopia and have difficulty reading the text. I find documents written in the so-called Mincho font difficult to read and too faint. Our university offers courses for seniors, and the number of elderly students is increasing. I think this is a good thing for them as well."
Mr. Arisaka"Senior students tend to find it difficult to read, but I feel that current students are gradually shifting to a culture of getting information in an instant. When I hold discussions with students, they often say, 'Students want more information like this,' but when I check, I find that the information has already been released...There is also a mismatch between the sender and the receiver.I found out that...
When it comes to disseminating information, if the content cannot be grasped without reading the entire sentence, people will not look at it, so we make efforts such as summarizing the main points and expressing them in bullet points. Also, when creating announcements in the so-called Mincho font, many students seem to dislike the stiff impression it gives.The font is round and soft to give the page a gentle impression.BIZ UD ShinmarugoWe consciously utilizeI feel that UD fonts are effective in terms of the impression they give to the reader.
When disseminating information, it is not enough to think, "I provided the correct information."Don't just think of it as a one-sided message, but be mindful of writing documents that are sensitive to the reader's feelings.I am doing so.”
Further establishing awareness on campus through study sessions
Mr. Irie"Since the plan was introduced, faculty members have also been actively using UD fonts. When we hold training sessions for faculty, some of the lecturers are faculty members from our university, and even then, the materials have changed to be created using UD fonts, which really shows how UD fonts have taken root on campus."
Mr. Arisaka"While we can see the effects of the introduction and its penetration on campus, we also see some issues. Even if we install UD fonts on our computers, the fonts we select may not match the usage scenario, or we may add unintended decorations or colors to the fonts we have carefully selected.We must also spread awareness within the university about how to effectively utilize it through study sessions.I think so.”
Aiming for smooth communication within the university: "Communicating" is not a talent, but a skill
Mr. Arisaka"As a next step, I would like to create an environment where students can freely create using fonts, and provide training where they can acquire the skills to create materials that 'communicate'. Also, because our university is a music college, there has been a demand for multilingual fonts, such as for use in writing song titles. With the aim of creating such a font environment, I would like to first spread study sessions throughout the university and promote awareness of fonts."
Mr. Shimoyagawa"The term "time performance" is often used these days, but if information is not transmitted smoothly, to put it simply, both parties are wasting their time.When information sharing between employees becomes smoother, time performance also improves.It also reduces stress for both parties. That's the kind of efficient situation I want to aim for.
"I think that being able to communicate is not just about talent and experience, but also about whether or not you have the awareness to communicate your ideas. What's great about Morisawa is that they don't just provide fonts and leave it at that; they also communicate their ideas. That's a good thing for society, so I hope we can expand that circle even further."
Thank you to everyone at Showa University of Music!
After this interview,All first-year students at Showa University of Music can use Morisawa FontslikeImproving the environmentMorisawa gave a special lecture.
You can read the class report here!
If you are interested in UD fonts or are considering introducing or utilizing them, please feel free to ask us any questions below.
If you are planning to use UD fonts in an educational institution or public organization, we recommend the "MORISAWA BIZ+ UD Font Plan for Public Organizations."