TMD Journal Primäre Funktion: Magazin by Tomohiro Kaji

Silber Druck · 2026

TMD Journal Primäre Funktion: Magazin

by Tomohiro Kaji

A' Design Award in Silber 2026 in Druck
CLIENT: Tomodachi Ltd.
Estimated Number of Design Views: 21,105
Verification code F259D6E39F · Verify this award

Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release

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About TMD Journal Primäre Funktion: Magazin

Buchtext: Das TMD Journal betrachtet Schriftgestaltung nicht als visuelle Stilisierung, sondern als strukturiertes System, das Bedeutung organisiert. Als Antwort auf die verbreitete Nutzung digitaler Schriften als oberflächliche Gestaltungselemente positioniert die Publikation Typografie neu als Medium zur Konstruktion von Gedanken und Kommunikation. Jedes Kapitel präsentiert ein originäres Schriftsystem anhand seiner konzeptionellen Prämisse, strukturellen Logik und angewandten Kontexts und zeigt, wie typografische Entscheidungen in Form und Anwendung übersetzt werden. Das Journal bietet einen Rahmen, um Schrift als aktive Komponente in Branding und Kommunikation zu verstehen.

About the A' Design Award in Silber

TMD Journal Primäre Funktion: Magazin ist Gewinner des A' Design Award in Silber, einer enorm prestigeträchtigen Anerkennung für erstklassige, großartige und beeindruckende Spitzendesigns. Silber-Gewinner sind ungemein brillante und äußerst kreative Werke, die die herausragende Expertise, das Talent und den Scharfsinn ihrer Designer veranschaulichen. Von TMD Journal Primäre Funktion: Magazin wird erwartet, dass es ein wunderbares Vorzeigewerk ist, das bemerkenswert professionell und zutiefst innovativ ist. Dieses mit dem A' Design Award in Silber prämierte Design ist eine höchst bemerkenswerte, bewunderte Erfindung, die den Grenzen von Kunst, Wissenschaft, Design und Technologie zugutekommt und sie voranbringt. TMD Journal Primäre Funktion: Magazin ist eine vielbeneidete Schöpfung, die Wünsche weckt, positive Gefühle vermittelt und Staunen und Verwunderung entfacht.

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.
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.
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.
Image Credits: Images: Tomodachi Ltd