TMD Journal Fungsi Utama: Majalah by Tomohiro Kaji

TMD Journal Fungsi Utama: Majalah by Tomohiro Kaji is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Perak in Desain Media Cetak dan Terbitan Competition Category.

PerakCetak· 2026

TMD Journal Fungsi Utama: Majalah

by Tomohiro Kaji

Client: Tomodachi Ltd.

A' Design Award Perak Winner in Cetak Category

21,105

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #182054

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Colors

The Design

About TMD Journal Fungsi Utama: Majalah

Teks Buku: TMD Journal mengkaji desain tipografi bukan sebagai gaya visual semata, melainkan sebagai sistem terstruktur yang mengorganisasi makna. Menanggapi meluasnya penggunaan font digital sebagai aset yang bersifat permukaan, publikasi ini memposisikan ulang tipografi sebagai medium untuk membangun pemikiran dan komunikasi. Setiap bab menghadirkan sistem tipografi orisinal melalui premis konseptual, logika struktural, dan konteks penerapannya, memperlihatkan bagaimana keputusan tipografis diterjemahkan ke dalam bentuk dan penggunaan. Jurnal ini menyediakan kerangka kerja untuk memahami tipografi sebagai komponen aktif dalam branding dan komunikasi.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Perak

TMD Journal Fungsi Utama: Majalah adalah pemenang A' Design Award Perak, pengakuan yang sangat bergengsi yang diberikan kepada desain kelas atas yang indah dan mengesankan. Pemenang Perak adalah karya yang sangat cemerlang dan sangat kreatif yang menggambarkan keahlian, bakat, dan ketajaman luar biasa para desainernya. TMD Journal Fungsi Utama: Majalah diharapkan menjadi karya yang menakjubkan, etalase keahlian, sangat profesional, dan sangat inovatif. Desain pemenang A' Design Award Perak ini adalah penemuan yang sangat menonjol dan dikagumi yang bermanfaat bagi dan memajukan batas-batas seni, sains, desain, dan teknologi. TMD Journal Fungsi Utama: Majalah adalah kreasi yang sangat dicemburui yang membangkitkan keinginan, membawa perasaan positif, dan memercikkan keheranan dan kekaguman.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

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.
Team Members: Art Director: Tomohiro Kaji
Typeface Designer: Tomohiro Kaji
Book Designer: Tomohiro Kaji, Ivan Persoglia
Image Credits: Images: Tomodachi Ltd