Ethnic Culture Background
Figure 2-Text arrangement direction, due to the need for ligation, a combined character is formed by changing the original glyphs of consonants and vowels.
Since China is a country where diversity is observed in terms of terrain, climate, and especially people, there are officially recognized 56 ethnic groups in China among whom the largest is the Han Chinese numbering about 900 million (Dede, n.d.). The font inspired by this ethnic group is called Source Han Sans released by Google and Adobe contains 65,535 characters and 7 different weights that have a consistent and systematic style for Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Korean (Hynuza, 2015). The usage of two weights called Regular and Normal forms an interesting point of Source Han Sans as it gives a visual compensation on different backgrounds. Mongols are another ethnic group residing in China united by a common language and use the same unique script that was adopted in the thirteenth century from the Uighur script as the Mongolian empire was expanded for communication (Dede, n.d.). The unique character of the Mongolian script was the use of the Phoenician alphabet which represented a fusion of regional identity with universal civilizational elements (Tong, 2023). The visual and structural design of Mongolian characters followed a vertical style of writing where the same letters may take different forms depending on the position within a word. (Figure 2) The design of the Mongolian script shows the interaction between diverse cultural groups emphasizing openness and fluidity in promoting cultural exchange.
Figure 3-Canned Packaging Design of 56 Ethnic Groups in Wangzai. 2020.
Among the diversity that exists in China with numerous ethnic groups, the development of Chinese characters has permitted them to be invisibly and closely connected. Chinese characters are like a pictographic symbol that allows people to communicate and exchange (Huang, 2023). The creative fonts have rich ethnic characteristics that catch the attention of the people and leave deep impressions. In the art of Chinese writing, the rich forms of Chinese characters are a source of inspiration for font design. Chinese characters make people aware of the beauty of Chinese fonts and the soul of the Chinese nation (Huang, 2023). On the contrary, the ethnic minorities of China possess various styles of font and structures, each of which reflects the unique personality and cultural identity of that respective group (Huang, 2023). When such unique features of font are incorporated into the design of Chinese character fonts, a new nationalization trend is reflected that blends traditional elements with modern creativity. For instance, the Wangzai canned food packaging campaign is an example of this trend that has reimaged the iconic Wangzai image to include design elements from 56 ethnic groups of China. (Figure 3) The design became popular among consumers as it evoked a sense of belonging and pride in the diverse cultural heritage of the nation.
The rich tapestry of China contributes significantly to the diverse nature of typography. Many of these groups have developed unique writing systems where each reflects their distinct linguistic and cultural identities (Ong, 2018). The graphic designer Mak Kai Hang has shown his love for individual type designers in China which has helped him to create a strong sense of uniqueness for each book. This has highlighted not only the Chinese typography but also the graphic design. One of the main categories in the Chinese type is Mincho also known as snug, that have brought a sense of modernity to Chinese typography while following the traditional emotions of Mincho at the same time (Ong, 2018). The Chinese typographers, therefore, consider both the concepts of calligraphy and the pictorial significance of a character.