Profile

Founded in 2004, Just Another Foundry is oper­ated by Tim Ahrens and Shoko Mugikura – a type designer and a typo­graph­er, respect­ively.

Despite our unas­sum­ing name, we are uncom­monly skilled in the design and produc­tion of text and display fonts for print and screen. In addi­tion to devel­op­ing our retail library, we provide custom and custom­ised typefaces for small and large clients alike. As one of the first webfont providers, we consider on-screen use of our fonts as import­ant as print. Our exper­i­ence in dealing with licens­ing and tech­no­lo­gical issues of new media helps us develop the ideal font package for your project.

Tim Ahrens has a degree in archi­tec­ture from the University of Karls­ruhe (Ger­many), and holds an MA in Typeface Design from the University of Reading (UK). After his first font family, Aroma, was published by Linotype in 2000, he set up his own type label. He is also known for his program­ming projects such as the Font Remix Tools, Kern On, and research and writing about font related matters. He lectures regu­larly at various typo­graphy and web design confer­ences. Tim is also a special­ist in web font tech­no­logy and was working as a consult­ant for Typekit from 2010–2015. He helps a number of companies includ­ing Süddeutsche Zeitung, Font­Font, Type Together and Gerard Unger with font optimisation and production.

Shoko Mugikura has a degree in Visual Commu­nic­a­tion Design from Musashino Art University (Japan), and holds an MA in Book Design from the University of Reading (UK). After working at several design companies in London, she joined Just Another Foundry in 2011. She has spoken at several inter­national design conferences such as ATypI and TYPO Berlin and Type­Talks in Tokyo, and has taught multi-script typo­graphy at Hochs­chule der Bilden­den Künste Saar (Saar College of Fine Arts).

Contact

Just Another Foundry GmbH Auweg 10g 85748 Garching Germany

Telephone: +49 89 32389836 E-mail:askme@justanotherfoundry.com

Managing Directors/Geschäftsführer: Tim Ahrens, Shoko Mugikura

Registered at: Amtsgericht München, HRB 215951

VAT ID number: DE298488330

Awards & Reviews

2023

• JAF Cupidus – TDC Typeface Design Award 2023
• JAF Cupidus – selected for the Tokyo TDC Annual Awards 2023 as “Prize Nominee Work”

2021

• JAF Lapture – reviewed by Dan Reynolds on Fontstand News

2018

• “Shoko Mugikura & Tim Ahrens” – Elliot Jay Stocks in 8 Faces

2016

• “(Not) Just Another Foundry” – Sébastien Morlighem on Fontstand

2014

• “Size-specific Adjustments to Type Designs” – review by Stephen Coles

2013

• JAF Bernini Sans – TDC Typeface Design Award 2012-2013
• JAF Bernini Sans – Communication Arts Typography Annual
• JAF Bernini Sans – PAGE 06.2013: TDC Typeface Design Award 2013
• JAF Bernini Sans – Typographica: Our Favorite Typefaces of 2012
• JAF Bernini Sans – Typefacts: Die besten Fonts 2012
• JAF Bernini Sans – PAGE 10.2013: Die Besten Fonts 2012

2012

• JAF Bernini Sans – MyFonts.de: “JAF Bernini Sans, A und O der modernen Grotesk”
• JAF Bernini Sans – PAGE online: “Serifenlose JAF Bernini”
• JAF Lapture – Typekit Blog: “About Face: JAF Lapture”
• JAF Domus Titling – PAGE 02.2012

2011

• JAF Lapture – Letter.2, Type Design Competition of the ATypI
• JAF Herb – Letter.2, Type Design Competition of the ATypI
• JAF Herb – Typefacts: Die besten Fonts 2010

2009

• JAF Facit – MyFonts.de: “Facit”

2007

• JAF Zalamander – PAGE 01.2007

2005

• JAF Lapture – PAGE 09.2005

Talks, Teaching & Workshops

Shoko Mugikura

2023

• Typo­gra­phi­sche Gesell­schaft Munich: “Invisible problems”

2022

• Symposion Raabs (Typo­gra­phi­sche Gesell­schaft Austria): “On designing with unfamiliar scripts”
• Symposion Raabs (Typo­gra­phi­sche Gesell­schaft Austria): Japanese calligraphy workshop
• Fontstand International Typography Conference, The Hague: “On designing With Japanese characters”
• Fontstand International Typography Conference, The Hague: Japanese calligraphy workshop

2021

• Multi-script typography course at Hoch­schule der Bilden­den Künste Saar (Saar College of Fine Arts)
• Type&, Tokyo: “House style booklets from England 1950–1990”

2020

• Type&, Tokyo: “Latin typo­graphy and pitfalls of using corporate fonts”

2016

• 35th TypeTalks, Tokyo, “European book typo­graphy”

2015

• 6th Typography Meeting, Aveiro, Portugal
• Typographische Gesellschaft München, preview of JAF Bernini Serif
• 29th TypeTalks, Tokyo, “Latin typography in Japan – analysing the wrong conventions” with Akira Kobayashi and Masao Takaoka

2013

• Japanese Calligraphy workshop at Mota Italic with Keiko Shimoda
• Ja­pan­ese Calli­graphy work­shop at Bauhaus University Weimar with Keiko Shimoda

2012

• “Babel” Inter­na­tio­nal Type Sympo­sium at HfG Offen­bach: “Be­au­ti­fully complex Japa­nese writing systems” (Video)
• TYPO Berlin: “Vertical? Horizontal?”

2011

• Typotag, Munich: “Vertical? Horizontal?”

2010

• ATypI conference Dublin: “Vertical? Horizontal?”
• ICHLL5, University of Oxford: “The devel­op­ment of typo­graphy in the bilin­gual diction­ar­ies of Japan­ese and the Western languages from 1595 up to the end of the 19th century”

Tim Ahrens

2022

• ATypI conference (online), Tech Talks panel discussion: “Automated Kerning and Spacing: Present and Future”

2021

• TypeTech MeetUp, Munich, “Kern On – a new kerning assistant”

2015

• 6th Typography Meeting, Aveiro, Portugal
• Typographische Gesellschaft München, preview of JAF Bernini Serif

2014

• TYPO Day Nürnberg: “Neue Medien, Neue Font-Techniken” (“New Media, New Font Tech­no­logy”)
• Tag der Schrift 2014, Zürich: “Mehr wie Print! Weniger wie Print! – Neue Typografie im Web” (“More like print! Less like print! – New typo­graphy on the web”)
• TYPO Day Düsseldorf: “Neue Medien, Neue Font-Techniken” (“New Media, New Font Tech­no­logy”)

2013

• TYPO Day Essen: “Neue Medien, Neue Font-Techniken” (“New Media, New Font Technology”)
• Type Talk, Apple Store, Berlin: “Neue Typografie im Web” (“New Typography on the Web”)
• TYPO Day Mainz: “Neue Medien, Neue Font-Techniken” (“New Media, New Font Technology”)
• Webinale 2013, Berlin: “Neue Medien, Neue Font-Techniken” (“New Media, New Font Technology”)
• Leipziger Typotage: “Mehr wie Print! Weniger wie Print!” (“More like print! Less like print!”)
• TYPO Day Hannover: “Neue Medien, Neue Font-Techniken” (“New Media, New Font Technology”)
• TYPO Day Stuttgart: “Neue Medien, Neue Font-Techniken” (“New Media, New Font Technology”)

2012

• Future of Web Design, Prague: “Web Fonts Backstage and On Stage”
• Webfontday, Munich: “Das Ende der Kindheit. Vom späten (typografischen) Erwachen der Webseiten” (“The end of childhood. About the late (typographic) awakening of the web”)
• TYPO Day Berlin: “Neue Medien, Neue Font-Techniken” (“New Media, New Font Technology”)
• TYPO Day Köln: “Neue Medien, Neue Font-Techniken” (“New Media, New Font Technology”)
• Smashing Conference, Freiburg: “Web Fonts Backstage and On Stage”
• Reasons to be Appy, London: “New font technologies for new media”
• TYPO Day Hamburg: “Neue Medien, Neue Font-Techniken” (“New Media, New Font Technology”)

2011

• Webfont production workshop at HTW Berlin
• Webfontday Munich
• Fonts fit fürs Netz, work­shop at Typo­gra­phi­sche Gesell­schaft München
• Symposion “unsichtbar”, Typo­gra­phi­sche Gesell­schaft Austria, Raabs: “Eine Frage des Maßstabs: Fonts in opti­scher Größe” (“A Matter of Scale – Optically Sized Fonts”)
• TYPO Berlin: “A closer look at Webfonts”

2010

• Webfontday, Munich: “Webfonts unter der Lupe” (“A closer look at webfonts”)
• ATypI conference Dublin: “Webfonts from the foundry’s point of view”

2009

• TYPO Berlin: “Eine Frage des Maßstabs: Fonts in optischer Größe” (“A Matter of Scale – Optically Sized Fonts”)
• CPH Typo 09, Copenhagen: “A Matter of Scale – Optically Sized Fonts”
• “Personal Views” ESAD lecture series, Porto
• Robothon 2009, The Hague: “Font Remix Tools”
• ATypI conference St Petersburg: “Optical sizes – size specific adjustments to type designs”, “Font Remix Tools”

2007

• ATypI conference Brighton TypeTech: “Taming the curves“
• ATypI conference Brighton TypeTech: “Multipul Master”

2006

• ATypI conference Lisbon: “Font Remix Tools”

2005

• “Type Technology”, Moscow University of Printing Arts

Books, Articles & Interviews

Shoko Mugikura

2024

• Fontstand News: “Japan’s last generation of sign painters”

2022

• Fontstand News: “Kuzushiji recognition with AI”

2021

• Book review: “Making typefaces that open a new era” (Written by Akari Yuki and published by Graphic-sha)

2017

• Japanese edition of Jost Hochuli’s “Detail in typography” (supervision: Shoko Mugikura; translation: Hidetaka Yamasaki)
• TYPOGRAPHY (Japanese journal), Issue 12: “Book typo­graphy vol. 6”
• TYPOGRAPHY (Japanese journal), Issue 11: “Book typo­graphy vol. 5”

2016

• TYPOGRAPHY (Japanese journal), Issue 10: “Book typo­graphy vol. 4”
• TYPOGRAPHY (Japanese journal), Issue 09: “Book typo­graphy vol. 3”

2015

• TYPOGRAPHY (Japanese journal), Issue 08: “Book typo­graphy vol. 2”
• TYPOGRAPHY (Japanese journal), Issue 07: “Book typo­graphy vol. 1”

2014

• TYPOGRAPHY (Japanese journal), Issue 05: “Typography education overseas vol. 3”
• TYPOGRAPHY (Japanese journal), Issue 05: “Type trip Berlin & Leipzig”

2013

• TYPOGRAPHY (Japanese journal), Issue 03: “Typography education overseas vol. 1”
• TYPOGRAPHY (Japanese journal), Issue 04: “Typography education overseas vol. 2”

2012

• Smashing Magazine: “Japanese, a beautifully complex writing system”
• Hand to Type (ed. Jan MIddendorp): ”Japanese Writing”

Tim Ahrens

2014

• Tim Ahrens and Shoko Mugikura, “Size-specific adjustments to type designs ”, published by Just Another Foundry
• PAGE 05.2014: “Report: Webfonts”

2013

• PAGE 02.2013: “Praxis: Webfonts”

2012

• Smashing Magazine: “A closer look at font rendering”
• Typekit Blog: “The type maker’s view of web fonts: an interview with Tim Ahrens”

2011

• Typekit Blog: “Optimizing Fonts for the Web: Outlines and Components”

2010

• Typekit Blog: “A closer look at TrueType hinting”
• PAGE online: “Im Gespräch: Interview mit Tim Ahrens”

2008

• Mark Batty Publisher: “Size-specific Adjustments to Type Designs” (out of print, second edition available)
• Document Numérique, “Une méthode basée sur les polices Multiple Master pour mettre à l’échelle des glyphes sans en changer les caracté­ris­tiques de trait”
• Digital Creativity, “A Multiple Master based method for scaling glyphs without chan­ging the stroke char­ac­ter­ist­ics”

2007

• “A Multiple Master based method for scaling glyphs without chan­ging the stroke char­ac­ter­ist­ics”, essay written as part of the MA Typeface Design programme at the University of Read­ing

Tools for Type Designers