Silver Print and Published Media Design · 2026
TMD Journal Magazine
- A' Design Award 2026 Silver Winner in Print and Published Media Design
- Awarded April 15, 2026
- CLIENT: Tomodachi Ltd.
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 20,458
- Verification code F259D6E39F · Verify this award
About TMD Journal Magazine
TMD Journal examines type design not as visual styling but as a structured system that organizes meaning. In response to the widespread use of digital fonts as surface level assets, the publication repositions typography as a medium for constructing thought and communication. Each chapter presents an original type system through its conceptual premise, structural logic and applied context, showing how typographic decisions translate into form and use. The journal provides a framework for understanding type as an active component in branding and communication.
Tomohiro Kaji's TMD Journal Magazine presents a compelling investigation into the intersection of typographic innovation and cultural identity through this spread documenting the TMD KUROFUNE typeface, a design that embodies the philosophy of incubating creative futures. The composition demonstrates masterful command of chromatic impact, deploying a saturated orange ground that functions simultaneously as background field and active design element, its warmth suggesting energy, transformation, and the dawn of new possibilities. The vertical cascade of interlocking white letterforms represents a sophisticated departure from conventional horizontal reading patterns, inviting viewers to engage with typography as spatial architecture rather than mere information delivery. The typeface itself, with its characteristic diagonal stroke terminals and geometric construction, achieves a distinctive visual voice that references both the precision of Western modernist type design and the dynamic brushwork inherent to Eastern calligraphic traditions. The layout's asymmetrical structure balances the monumental typographic statement against measured informational passages, demonstrating how editorial design can create dramatic visual experience while maintaining functional clarity. The interplay between the bold display application and the refined body text illustrates the typeface family's versatility across scale and context. This work invites consideration of how letterform design carries cultural meaning, how the angles and rhythms of individual characters can embody philosophical positions about challenging conventions and embracing transformation. Viewers might contemplate how typography functions as cultural artifact, encoding values and aspirations within the abstract geometry of alphabetic forms.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- TMD Journal positions typefaces as systems that organise meaning rather than visual styles. Each typeface is examined through its conceptual premise, structural logic and applied context within a unified publication.
By combining original type development with editorial analysis, the journal establishes a framework where typography is not presented as form, but understood as a system that shapes communication, identity and interpretation. - Dimensions & Packaging
- 210 × 297 mm (A4)
52 pages - Tags
- Typography, Editorial Design, Type Design, Print Publication, Typographic Research, Visual Communication, Branding System, Independent Publishing, Communication Design, Design Systems
- Production Technology
- The publication is constructed as a sequence of chapters, each dedicated to a distinct type system. The editorial structure follows a consistent progression from concept to structure to application.
This method translates abstract typographic ideas into a readable system, allowing relationships between design decisions and communication outcomes to become visible through use rather than explanation. - Design Challenge
- The primary challenge was translating conceptual typographic research into a coherent editorial system. Typefaces informed by historical structures needed to function within a contemporary format while maintaining clarity and usability.
Balancing conceptual depth with readability required continuous iteration. Maintaining consistency across multiple type systems while preserving their individual logic was critical to achieving both coherence and distinction. - Project Duration
- The typefaces were developed between March 2023 and September 2025. Editorial research and design were conducted in parallel.
The journal was completed and published in November 2025 in Kamakura, Japan. - Operation Flow
- The journal is read sequentially through chapters, each focusing on a typeface. Readers move from conceptual explanation to structural breakdown and then to application examples.
This structure allows readers to actively understand how typographic decisions influence meaning, shifting the experience from passive viewing to analytical reading. - Research
- Type of Research
Practice based research in typographic systems and communication design
Objective
To examine how typefaces construct meaning and function within branding and editorial contexts
Methodology
Comparative analysis of historical typography and experimental type development
Process and Tools
Archival references, typographic specimens and digital type design software
Outcome
A publication demonstrating how typographic structure influences communication
Impact
Provides a framework for integrating typography into branding systems - Inspiration
- In the digital era, typefaces are increasingly consumed as visual surfaces detached from the ideas they were originally designed to express. Historically, typography functioned as a medium for structuring thought and communication.
This project begins with a question: can type operate again as a system that carries meaning rather than appearance. Drawing from typographic history and calligraphic traditions, TMD Journal reconsiders the role of type as an active structure within communication. - Image Credits
- Images: Tomodachi Ltd