For me, the most difficult question that I come across when meeting new people is when they ask “So where are you from?”. When asked this question I am usually hesitant to respond because my answer almost always ends up with a question I can’t fully answer. My typical response would be “I’m an American born and raised on Long Island, but my parents are from Taiwan”. The second part to my answer is usually what gets me in trouble because it gets into world politics about “what makes a Taiwanese person different from a Chinese person?”. Truth be told I really don’t know and will not be able to give a good answer. But this does relate into the history of Taiwan and language because I wanted to do this research report on Taiwanese Typography.
Upon my research, I found a project by a female Taiwanese Graphic designer named Fu-Chieh Wu. This project was her Thesis for MFA in Typography and Print Design. Her project was entitled . Her main objective was basically to start a unique typographic style that best represents Taiwan as a culture in hopes of beginning a Graphic Design culture for Taiwan.
- TypeOfTaiwan1
- TypeOfTaiwan2
- TypeOfTaiwan3
The Making of “Type of Taiwan” on Vimeo.com
This is her 67 page Thesis: WuFuChiehThesis
Along with her Type of Taiwan Project, she has also done a lot for the typographic design community by creating her own typeface known as Gazlia. She has also created an online published typography book available to be read on her website. Overall, I think she is not only a pioneer in Taiwanese typography, but Taiwanese Graphic Design culture as a whole.
