Chinese fonts/typography

[Member G T…]

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Hi all,

Could anyone possibly recommend any literature that is a good introduction to Chinese fonts and typography please? In English but pertaining to Cantonese if there is a big difference between the treatment of that and Mandarin?

Thanks,

Graham

[Member Jon…]

I'm sure Ken Lunde will have excellent suggestions. As far as Cantonese goes, there is no real typographical difference as far as I am aware apart from some characters specific to Cantonese.

The standard written Chinese used by Cantonese speakers in formal situations is essentially identical to that used by Mandarin speakers. When Cantonese speakers specifically choose to write in Cantonese, the differences with standard written Chinese based on Mandarin are basically in word choice and usage, but as I said, the only typographically different element is the use of Cantonese-specific characters.

Another thing to take into consideration is that in Hong Kong and Macao, Cantonese speakers will write with traditional characters, while Cantonese speakers in China will write with simplified characters.

[Member G T…]

Thanks Brian,

This is for a designer friend of mine. She's Cantonese, but has lived in the UK for the last 14 years since she was twelve. She might be doing some work for Hong Kong, so I thought I'd see if there was anything that would be helpful as she studied design in the UK and isn't that familiar with Chinese typography and fonts.

Thanks again,

Graham