Kanda University of International Studies and Morisawa Co., Ltd. have planned to create a poster using UD fonts. Kanda University of International Studies is actively working on the SDGs, and in order to achieve goal 4, "Quality education for all,"Morisawa UD fontAfter finding this to be useful, the university has been promoting the use of UD fonts on campus. 

This time, the theme was "Universal Design and Solving Local Issues," and students presented posters with ideas for using universal design to solve local issues that are close to them. 

This time, all classes were held online, allowing students who were unable to attend due to job hunting or other reasons to still participate in the assignments. Through the classes, students were able to think about the possibilities of universal design and lettering while facing local issues close to home! 

Class flow

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In the first class, students will learn about the assignment and about "UD fonts," fonts created based on the concept of universal design. 
Then, they will consider ideas related to universal design and solving local issues, and in the second class they will learn the tips for creating an effective layout and how to effectively use UD fonts, which are necessary to turn these ideas into posters. 

On the final day, the representative students introduced their works and Morisawa provided feedback on the works. 
By listening to the feedback given to the students who presented, even those who were not able to give direct feedback may have been able to see areas where they could improve their own work. 

Survey contents 

After the class, we conducted a survey of the students and received some encouraging feedback, such as the following: 

Q. Was the content of this class useful for the future?

Q: In what situations do you think this content would be useful? 

"I would like to use UD fonts in my future work. I think they will be useful for both companies and society. Through learning about UD fonts this time, I realized there is still a lot of universal design I don't know about, so I would like to deepen my knowledge."

"I think I'll be in a position to create a variety of things in the future, so I think I've developed a mindset to create things that are easy for everyone to understand, rather than just focusing on myself."

In addition to this, some people said that they have started to consciously think about "ease of viewing" and "the reasons for selecting fonts," and that their perspective has broadened as they have started to be more conscious of UD fonts in their daily lives. 

Q. Would you like to see more use of UD fonts on campus?

Q. Please tell us in what situations on campus you would like to see UD fonts used more widely. 

"I think it would be great if UD fonts were used for materials used in classes for current students, pamphlets for new students, promotional posters for Kanda University of International Studies, and information for international students."

"In particular, Kanda University of International Studies is a place where people from various cultural backgrounds are enrolled, so I feel that it should be used."

In addition, we received many comments that students would like to see more use of the app on electronic devices such as iPads, on university websites, and on cafeteria menus.

 

Q. What did you think about this class?

"I was glad to learn that aligning the beginning of text and images makes the work look neater and easier to read. I was surprised at how much the impression of my own work changed just by changing the position and text. I would like to continue making use of the knowledge I gained this time."

"I started to look at the fonts and layout of things like store logos and flyers. I started to imagine how I would give it more weight or how I would position it."

"I hadn't really thought much about the importance of fonts until now, but I became very interested in them because I feel that using fonts that are easy for everyone to read is the key to solving many of society's problems."

Other comments included that they realized the importance of thinking from the other person's perspective, that they became more conscious of the fonts used in notices and handouts in the community, and that they learned a wide range of knowledge about fonts. 

The survey results show that students felt the need for fonts and layout. 
Although it was only three classes, I think the students were able to think about things from various perspectives and absorb a lot. I hope that they will use what they learned in this class in their future student life and when they enter the workforce! 

Teacher's comments about the class

I have conducted collaborative classes with companies in various subjects and formats, but this year's collaborative classes were conducted online, which was a first for me and a very stimulating experience. The explanations by Morisawa's professional staff on effective font selection and layout concepts were persuasive, and I believe this helped deepen the students' understanding.

Students commented, "Having the opportunity to be evaluated by a company gave me motivation," and "I make videos as a hobby, and my use of text, such as subtitles, has improved dramatically."

Thank you, Professor Ishii, for your valuable comments.

In the next article, we will introduce the works of the two students who presented their wonderful ideas, as well as interviews with them. 

Kanda University of International Studies and Morisawa Inc. held a class on the theme of "Universal Design and Solving Local Issues," where students presented ideas for solving everyday issues using universal design in poster format using UD fonts. 

In the previous article, we introduced the feedback from students and teachers after the class. In this article, we will introduce the works of two students who presented their wonderful ideas, as well as interviews with them. 

Hearing aid "Neiro" 

Creator: Reno Mika, Department of International Communication, Faculty of Foreign Languages 

Q. Impressions of this assignment 

When I heard about the project, I found it difficult, thinking, "Can universal design solve local issues?" Before tackling this project, I hadn't really thought about universal design in my daily life. 

I love coming up with new projects and ideas, so I really enjoyed the process of creating my work!

Q.Introduction to the work 

This idea was born out of the increased opportunities to take temperatures due to the impact of the coronavirus. My grandfather couldn't hear the high-pitched beeping sound of the thermometer, so it took a long time to take his temperature. I thought that if my grandfather, who is able-bodied, had difficulty hearing, it might also be a cause of anxiety for people with hearing impairments. 

Therefore, we proposed a hearing aid for elderly people that allows them to visually know their own body temperature. 
One of the clever ideas we used was to create a unified color scheme for the posters. 

Q. Why did you choose the font? 

Font used: BIZ UD ShinmarugoBIZ UD Shingo 

In the lecture, I learned that "using fewer fonts makes it easier to read," so I narrowed it down to two fonts. I chose the UD fonts Gothic and Round Gothic because I wanted the poster to be easy to understand for seniors and to be easy to read from a distance. 

Q: What changed or what did you notice before and after completing the assignment? 

I've become more conscious of fonts every time I work on a report or assignment! 
I feel that UD fonts are imbued with the "Japanese consideration" of making small ingenious efforts to create a society where everyone can live comfortably. 

Just a slight change in font can make a difference in impression and readability, so I hope that UD fonts will be used in more situations. 

◇Comment from Morisawa 

Thank you for sharing your thoughtful ideas, born from small everyday observations. You focused on the content and selected a typeface with the elderly in mind as your target audience. You created a poster that fully reflected the content we shared in the lecture! 

Smiling Everyone's Table Tray
~A comfortable time for everyone~ 

Creator: Ozono Emiri, Department of English and American Studies, Faculty of Foreign Languages

Q. Impressions of this assignment 

Since I was planning to work as a volunteer at the Olympics, I had the opportunity to think about universal design on a daily basis. 

However, I had never had the experience of creating something with fonts in mind before, so this assignment was a very interesting lecture. 

Q.Introduction to the work 

My father is wheelchair-bound at home. 
When I thought about the theme of solving everyday problems in this class, I remembered that my father tries to do things on his own if he can, but he had always felt it was dangerous when carrying food. 
We chose food trays as they are items that can be used by anyone, not just people with disabilities. 

Q. Why did you choose the font? 

Font used: BIZ UD ShingoBIZ UD ReiminBIZ UD Shinmarugo　UD Digital Textbookbody 

I chose the font by thinking, "What font would be appropriate for this text?" 
I also wanted to take this opportunity to try out different fonts, so I incorporated them into the poster! 

Personally, I like UD Reimin, but I feel that the easiest font to use is UD Shin Go. 

Q. What has changed or what have you noticed since completing the assignment? 

Through this assignment, I realized that choosing a font that matches the image you have in mind can make a difference in the persuasiveness of your document, making it interesting and making people want to read it at first glance. 

I still used to create materials after my lectures, but now I'm more conscious about choosing the fonts I use. 

◇Comment from Morisawa 

Thank you for presenting such a wonderful idea based on your own experience and focusing on the fact that it can be used by anyone. 

In order to make it familiar to everyone, not just the people involved, we asked them to create a design that would fit in even in a stylish setting, and they also paid attention to the color scheme! 

When you, who have worked on this assignment, enter the workforce, you may not have many opportunities to directly relate to fonts in your work. However, the knowledge of characters and layout that you have learned through this class will surely be useful in situations where you need to communicate as you enter the workforce and play an active role on the world stage. 

I hope this class will encourage you to pay attention to fonts, something you may not have paid much attention to before!