止間 Toma Display
Typeface | Motion
Toma is a Japanese typeface, where the incomplete strokes create a subtle optical illusion of imaginary depth, similar to the effect observed when light is cast onto debossed type from a slanted angle.
The strokes and serifs become the shadow outlines of a ‘true’ stroke housed in the negative space. I wanted to see how that space can carve out an ethereal sense of form.
Developed in partial response to Spotify JP's project アニメを聴こう
The typeface is partially named after one of my favorite Japanese pianists and composers, Itoko Toma, and her work Toe, which featured a distinct staccato texture to the melody. The notes ended quickly and sharply, just right, before the next.
The sharply controlled silence between each note shaped the sound just as much as the notes themselves. I wanted to translate that feeling into typography, stopping at just the right point in rhythm.
The empty space mattered just as much as the strokes.
