Akira Kobayashi, with nearly four decades of experience, is widely regarded as one of the world's foremost type designers. He has earned prestigious awards such as the 2022 TDC Medal and the Keinosuke Sato Award, cementing his reputation in the field. Kobayashi has collaborated with legendary designers like Hermann Zapf and Adrian Frutiger, contributing to iconic typefaces such as Optima Nova and Frutiger. Throughout his career, he has created over 50 typefaces, including prominent families like Avenir Next, DIN Next, and Tazugane Gothic. His work spans both Latin and Japanese scripts, and he has developed custom types for global brands including Alibaba, Bridgestone, Garena, Mazda, Mercari, and Sony.

❝Curiosity guides us to the gateway of understanding design. Even the very letters you are reading now were crafted by type designers. By carefully observing how much time and effort went into refining the font used here, you can begin to appreciate the role type design plays in visual communication.❞ — Akira Kobayashi on "Curiosity"

Portrait: Courtesy of Monotype