The Font Switch Project holds seminars and training sessions on information design that goes from "communicating" to "being understood."
This time, we will be focusing on presentation materials and sharing the voices of people who have learned how to use UD fonts and the know-how to do so.

Naoto Hiramatsu, Toyo Hakko Co., Ltd.

How I discovered MORISAWA BIZ+

I have the opportunity to give a presentation once a month, and I felt a sense of challenge in how to communicate more clearly. That's when I came across Morisawa fonts and the online seminars they host!Mr. Hiramatsu took the courseClick here for the summary and report of the online seminar

The path to presentation materials that "communicate"
Condensed fonts make documents easier to read

At the seminar, I learned that the most important thing is to create something that will be conveyed to the other person, and I learned a lot of know-how.

The most striking piece of know-how was that when reading flyers, magazines, websites, etc., people's eyes move in a "Z-shape" (horizontal text) and "reverse N-shape" (vertical text). Therefore, if the text is written horizontally, place an eye-catching image on the left. If you keep in mind that text information will be read in a Z-shape, it will be easier to read.

Thanks to Takahashi's seminar, I learned not only about the wide variety of fonts available, but also about the existence of "condensed typefaces." Condensed typefaces are typefaces that are designed to be narrower than regular fonts while still being legible and readable. 

When creating presentation materials, you may want to surround text with a square or oval frame to make it look diagrammatic or stand out. Until then, I had assumed that if the number of characters changed, the frame surrounding it would necessarily become larger, but I learned that using a condensed typeface makes it easier to make the frame sizes consistent. 

I actually replaced some of the problematic parts of a presentation I created with a condensed typeface, and it certainly made the presentation look more beautiful. Having consistent font sizes makes it much easier to read, and I feel it also improves the quality of the message.

Changing the weight makes numbers in Excel easier to read

BIZ UDP Shin Go comes in not only "Regular" and "Bold" but also "Light," "Medium," and "Heavy" weights. Using Light makes the letters thinner, while using Heavy makes the letters thicker and more noticeable. 

In addition, the BIZ UDP Shin Go font has a slightly larger character shape, so when working in Excel, the font size is set to "9," which is slightly smaller than the default setting, and the cells are made a little taller. 

People in research positions often have to stare at numbers, so by doing this, not only is the UD font easier to read, but the numbers are not too crowded, reducing strain on the eyes.

Being exposed to fonts from your university days will give you an advantage in your work.

Due to my job, I often attend academic conferences. Every March, the Agricultural Chemistry Society is held, where research presentations on agricultural chemistry are given. This conference, where renowned professors take the stage, is also attended by university students studying agriculture, chemistry, and other subjects.
I was the same, but in the lab, we naturally use fonts that professors and seniors have used for generations. Looking back, I wish I had been exposed to a variety of fonts while I was still a university student. That would have been a great advantage when I started working as a member of society.