Once the main glyphs, such as Latin, kana, and kanji, are designed, we then design punctuation marks and symbols to match them. The brackets for TP Apricot were designed for Latin first, but since we have made repeated adjustments to the Latin, kana, and kanji up to this point, it is only natural that the brackets also need to be redesigned for Japanese.

Because I experienced a lot of twists and turns with the hiragana design (this topic will be introduced in detail in a future article), I created three design proposals for Japanese brackets in the initial prototype. The first is close to Latin design, the second is close to kanji design, and the third is graphical.

In the end, I finalized the design of Japanese brackets by distinguishing between kanji-oriented and graphic-oriented styles. By creating three design proposals with a certain degree of variation, it became easier to understand where the goal lay among the three proposals. Of course, I believe familiarity gained through previous design work played a significant role, but I felt the design of Japanese brackets proceeded smoothly. Furthermore, this design policy will also come into play with the symbols that follow.

Apart from the behind-the-scenes story here, the development story page provides detailed information about the design process and concept behind TP Apricot. Please take a look.

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