During the design process of TP Apricot, the design of mathematical symbols required ingenuity in adjusting thickness. For thick weights in high contrast in particular, we struggled to determine the appropriate thickness.

While we may simply call them mathematical symbols, they come in a wide variety of types, ranging from basic calculation symbols, such as “+” and “=” to symbols that we don’t usually see in everyday life, such as “∈,” and “Σ.”

In the early stages of development, we applied the same rules to high contrast mathematical symbols as to other characters to help them maintain their characteristic blackness and presence even when paired with numbers. This design features thick vertical strokes and diagonal lines, with only the horizontal lines drawn thin.

However, as we added various symbols, we discovered that depending on the structure of the glyph, this rule did not preserve the balance of blackness. In glyphs that consist solely of horizontal lines in particular, all the lines become thin, creating too much of a difference in density when compared with symbols that have vertical strokes or diagonal lines.

After lining up multiple mathematical symbol glyphs and conducting repeated testing, we came to the conclusion that for some symbols, it was easier to achieve overall balance by using only thin single lines. In the final design, symbols with character-derived character shapes, such as “Σ,” and “%,” have been given contrast similar to numbers and other characters, while symbols with stronger geometric elements have thin single lines.

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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