TYPE DESIGN

Naiqian Mac Wang – Nimonic

by Naiqian Mac Wang

Nimonic is designed to help Chinese native speakers learn English, the typeface addresses common problems Chinese English learners would likely encounter, such as stress placement, vowel reduction, and unfamiliar phonemes. Based on letter identification and legibility research, the letterforms are drawn to emphasize their idiosyncrasies, resulting in subtle yet quirky features that purposefully slow down the reading process of the learner. The combined technical and aesthetic considerations allow Nimonic to maintain a familiar first impression while hosting many unorthodox details, like having a vague gist memory instead of a vivid verbatim memory.