What fonts are often used in Nintendo and Japanese contexts?

New Rodin and Shin Go are the fonts often used, designed by Fontworks and Morisawa.

What is the difference between Gothic and Minchō styles?

Gothic fonts, like New Rodin and Shin Go, maintain uniform thickness, similar to san-serif fonts. Minchō fonts resemble calligraphy drawn with a brush.

Why are these fonts significant outside of Japan?

They are often associated with Japanese culture due to their frequent use in Nintendo games and Japanese settings, making them intriguing to people outside Japan.

What is UD Shin Go NT?

It is a version of the Shin Go font adapted by Morisawa for better readability, used by Nintendo in the Nintendo Switch UI.

How do these fonts compare with Western fonts like Helvetica?

New Rodin and Shin Go are often compared to the Western font Helvetica for their clean and versatile characteristics.

Why did Fontworks and Morisawa emerge as major font producers?

During the digitalisation of fonts in the 90s, they capitalized on the absence of digital versions of 70s and 80s analog fonts, creating New Rodin and Shin Go.

What was the legal issue concerning these fonts?

There was a lawsuit due to the similarities between these fonts and their predecessors, but it was ruled that there was no intellectual property infringement.

How are these fonts used in Japan?

They are widely used in advertising, public signage, and video games for their versatile and clear appearance.

Where does the font Gothic style originate?

Gothic fonts in Japan are distinct from Western Gothic, aligning more with san-serif styles, focusing on functionality and clarity.

Why do these fonts feel particularly "Japanese"?

Their association with Nintendo and common Japanese contexts creates a cultural identifier for those outside Japan.

What's the deal with this font?

00:03:51

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dwSydGAJsk

Summary

TLDRThe video discusses the significance of two Japanese fonts, New Rodin and Shin Go, often perceived as "The Japan Font" or "The Nintendo Font." These fonts were developed by Fontworks and Morisawa, inspired by a 70s typeface known as Gona from the Shaken foundry. They are commonly used in Nintendo games, Japanese ad campaigns, and public signage. Unlike Minchō style, which resembles brush writing, these Gothic fonts are akin to Western san-serif fonts, offering clarity and readability. During the digitalization era of the 1990s, Fontworks and Morisawa continued these fonts, leading to legal scrutiny due to their semblance, but were cleared from infringement charges. New Rodin and Shin Go are versatile, making them ideal for the clear display required by video games, such as the Nintendo Switch UI, which uses UD Shin Go NT, a refined version for improved readability. These fonts are essential in associational Japanese branding, especially outside Japan, creating a distinctive cultural niche.

Takeaways

🎮 The fonts New Rodin and Shin Go are famous for their use in Nintendo games and Japanese contexts.
🇯🇵 These fonts are perceived as culturally Japanese, particularly outside of Japan.
💼 Developed by Fontworks and Morisawa, inspired by the 70s font Gona.
📜 Legal challenges arose but were dismissed as no intellectual rights were infringed.
🔠 Classified as Gothic fonts in Japan, similar to san-serif fonts.
📈 The fonts offer versatility, suitable for ads, signage, and games.
🎨 Used in the Nintendo Switch UI as UD Shin Go NT for better readability.
👀 Compared to the Western font Helvetica for its clarity.
☯ Offers a minimalistic and neutral look, enhancing the gaming experience.
🌍 Emphasizes cultural branding linking to Japanese identity.

Timeline

00:00:00 - 00:03:51
The video explores a specific font often associated with Japan and Nintendo, notably seen in various platforms and games like Wii Sports, StarFox, and inside Japanese train stations. The font shares characteristics with Eurostile, but it's not the same. Interestingly, the font in question isn't actually one but two: New Rodin by Fontworks and Shin Go by Morisawa, both inspired by the 70s Gona font by Shaken. During the 90s digitalization of typefaces, these companies adapted the style and created their versions, leading to legal arguments over their similarities. However, no intellectual property infringement was found. New Rodin and Shin Go are categorized as Gothic fonts in Japan, distinguished from Minchō style by their uniform stroke thickness, akin to Western serif vs. sans-serif fonts, and are comparable to Helvetica for their versatility and clarity.

Mind Map

Video Q&A

What fonts are often used in Nintendo and Japanese contexts?
New Rodin and Shin Go are the fonts often used, designed by Fontworks and Morisawa.
What is the difference between Gothic and Minchō styles?
Gothic fonts, like New Rodin and Shin Go, maintain uniform thickness, similar to san-serif fonts. Minchō fonts resemble calligraphy drawn with a brush.
Why are these fonts significant outside of Japan?
They are often associated with Japanese culture due to their frequent use in Nintendo games and Japanese settings, making them intriguing to people outside Japan.
What is UD Shin Go NT?
It is a version of the Shin Go font adapted by Morisawa for better readability, used by Nintendo in the Nintendo Switch UI.
How do these fonts compare with Western fonts like Helvetica?
New Rodin and Shin Go are often compared to the Western font Helvetica for their clean and versatile characteristics.
Why did Fontworks and Morisawa emerge as major font producers?
During the digitalisation of fonts in the 90s, they capitalized on the absence of digital versions of 70s and 80s analog fonts, creating New Rodin and Shin Go.
What was the legal issue concerning these fonts?
There was a lawsuit due to the similarities between these fonts and their predecessors, but it was ruled that there was no intellectual property infringement.
How are these fonts used in Japan?
They are widely used in advertising, public signage, and video games for their versatile and clear appearance.
Where does the font Gothic style originate?
Gothic fonts in Japan are distinct from Western Gothic, aligning more with san-serif styles, focusing on functionality and clarity.
Why do these fonts feel particularly "Japanese"?
Their association with Nintendo and common Japanese contexts creates a cultural identifier for those outside Japan.

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00:00:00
Since you clicked on the video, you’ve probably seen it in Wii Sports, in Wii Play,
00:00:04
Wii Fit U, in Nintendo Switch screenshots, in StarFox, in Sonic games, on the PSP menu,
00:00:10
inside Japanese train stations… just to name a few. A well utilised font,
00:00:15
but rarely used outside of Japan. Which makes me associate it as "The Japan font" or even
00:00:21
"The Nintendo font". To me, this looks more Japanese than this. It holds some similar
00:00:28
characteristics with Eurostile, but it’s not exactly the same font. So, what font is it? Well,
00:00:36
I’ve actually been lying to you this whole time – we’re not talking about one but in general,
00:00:41
two separate fonts. By two separate Japanese typeface companies: Fontworks and Morisawa.
00:00:48
These two fonts were heavily inspired by Gona, made by the type foundry Shaken in the 70s.
00:00:55
During the digitalisation of typefaces in the 90s, a lot of analog fonts from the 70s and 80s weren’t
00:01:01
directly carried over. Fontworks and Morisawa took advantage of this to claim their own versions.
00:01:08
This resulted in lawsuits considering the striking similarities.
00:01:13
However, according to font enthusiast Fontendo, it was "determined that the
00:01:17
similarities of the glyphs is not grounds for intellectual property infringement".
00:01:22
In other words, there wasn’t an issue – hence the now two identical fonts.
00:01:26
Their names by the way, are New Rodin and Shin Go. New Rodin being the successor to
00:01:31
Rodin. Shin Go literally meaning New Go…thic. In fact, these fonts are what is classed as
00:01:38
Gothic fonts in Japan. As opposed to Minchō style having looked like it was drawn with a brush,
00:01:44
Gothic typefaces maintain a uniform thickness with its strokes. Think of it as serif versus san-serif
00:01:51
fonts, with the latter being designed for the modern world due to its clear and legible shapes.
00:01:57
A lot of people often compare these fonts with the Western counterpart "Helvetica" – which
00:02:01
I’m sure you’ve heard of - they even named a movie after it. Helvetica is supposedly THE
00:02:06
most used font in the world, although it isn’t specifically designed for the Japanese language.
00:02:12
Enter in New Rodin and Shin Go and now all the hiragana, katakana and kanji characters are
00:02:17
easily available. Both fonts are super versatile with an unembellished, minimalistic appearance.
00:02:23
A strong impact at large scale, yet highly readable in small sizes.
00:02:28
With this in mind, I began to see why it’s widely used in ads, public signs and video games.
00:02:34
Perhaps this is why Nintendo uses either fonts for their user interface in games – so as to
00:02:39
not steal the focus from the gameplay. A neutral, but not too boring look.
00:02:45
Throughout their years, Nintendo has worked closely with Fontworks
00:02:48
and even collaborated on custom fonts. But in current times of the Nintendo Switch,
00:02:54
the UI font is actually UD Shin Go NT by Morisawa. The UD abbreviates for Universal Design,
00:03:01
since it has improved readability. Nintendo modified the font even further, as shown here.
00:03:07
So… what IS the deal with these fonts? It has obviously made an impact on me and numerous
00:03:12
other people. The fact that I only see it during video games or while visiting Japan,
00:03:17
makes it personally significant. It gives an immediate association to anything Japanese
00:03:21
related. Meanwhile if I lived in Japan, I might’ve not shared the same enthusiasm if
00:03:26
it were a constant exposure. I mean, who finds Helvetica interesting? Oh, right.
00:03:34
Thanks to Fontendo for fact checking the video, you can follow his Twitter account
00:03:38
@Fontendou or check out his videos: Kaihatsu. If you liked my voice,
00:03:43
you can hear it again in this video where I talk about my favourite Japanese band.
00:03:47
Or you can do whatever, like go outside or something – get some fresh air.