Monotype announced its planned acquisition of iconic Japanese foundry, Fontworks, accelerating its expansion into the APAC market

Fontworks' team, type inventory, IP, technology, and services will join global type specialist Monotype. This will mark Monotype's first acquisition in Japan. The acquisition of Fontworks enables Monotype to accelerate its expansion in the Asia Pacific region. 

HONG KONG and TAIPEI, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Type and technology specialist Monotype® has announced its planned acquisition of Tokyo-based Fontworks™, one of the most respected and best-known providers of Japanese type design, from SB Technology. The deal is scheduled to close in Q3 of 2023.

Under the terms of the deal, Fontworks' renowned team of 73 designers, engineers, sales, and administrative professionals, along with its impressive type library and its LETS™, Mojimo™, and FONTPLUS™ services, will join the Monotype family.

With the addition of Fontworks' 260 Japanese font styles, the Monotype library will offer a wider range of Asian language fonts, including Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese and Korean.

Akira Kobayashi, 2022 Type Directors Club Medal winner and Creative Type Director at Monotype, said, "We are delighted to announce that Fontworks, one of Japan's most prestigious type foundries, has joined the Monotype family. I've collaborated with Shigenobu Fujita and the Fontworks team for many years, so I know first-hand the depth of expertise and industry insight this partnership will bring to Monotype. Fontworks-designed typefaces have a special place in Japanese culture and we look forward to bringing Fontworks' type excellence to even more creative professionals in Japan and beyond." 

Ninan Chacko, CEO at Monotype, said, "I'm delighted that Monotype's first ever acquisition in Japan is Fontworks—a type studio that's synonymous with premium Japanese type design and innovation. We're going to put Fontworks' typefaces in the hands of even more creative professionals around the world and bring Monotype's multiscript and Latin typeface library to Japanese creatives."

This will be Monotype's first acquisition in Japan and it marks an important step of its broader Asia Pacific expansion strategy. This strategic move demonstrates Monotype's commitment to the region and it looks to expand through a combination of organic growth and partner networks.

Legacy of Asian Language Typography and Font Development Spanning Over Decades

For decades, Monotype has served as a trusted partner for companies across Asia Pacific region including Hong Kong and Taiwan, with a rich font library supporting Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese and Korean character sets. The company has steadily grown its presence in the region by expanding its sales and marketing teams in key Asian hubs like Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan in recent years.

Beyond its expansive library of Latin and multi-script fonts, Monotype has a broad range of Chinese and Asian language typefaces covering diverse styles to meet all design needs. This includes flagship families like M Ying Hei and M XiangHe Hei. Pioneering fonts like MSung and M Kai set the stage for Monotype in Chinese phototypesetting.

Monotype counts many of the region's leading companies, creative and design agencies, and publishers among its loyal customers and partners utilizing its font solutions. Monotype fonts employed by clients include companies like Alibaba, Tencent and Nike. The company also provides font licensing and develops custom font solutions tailored specifically for the needs of the Asian markets, helping them to develop brand identity and recognition through consistent and memorable typefaces along with access to an extensive library of 40,000 existing fonts.

About Monotype
Monotype creates brands that matter with type, technology, and expertise. The company partners with leading foundries to deliver the broadest inventory of high-quality typefaces in the world for our customers. Monotype Fonts combines the world's largest collection of award-winning type, the expertise of the most sought-after foundries and type designers and trusted and secure font management—all under a single agreement.

Further information is available here.
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Monotype®, Helvetica®, Frutiger®, Helvetica Now™, and Neue Frutiger™ are trademarks of Monotype Imaging Inc. and may be registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and certain other jurisdictions. Avenir Next™, DIN®, and FF DIN™ are trademarks of Monotype GmbH and may be registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and certain other jurisdictions. Gotham® is a trademark of The Hoefler Type Foundry, Inc. and may be registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and certain other jurisdictions.

About Fontworks
Fontworks maximizes the power of letters and, under the corporate philosophy of "Freedom with letters, more and more," provides font functions and services suited to the times and environment. In 2002, Fontworks launched LETS (Leading Edge Type Solution), the industry's first annual subscription-based font service in Japan, to make fonts more accessible and useful. Fontworks has contributed to shortening the distance between people around the world, between people and information, and between people and their creations.

Further information available here.
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SOURCE Monotype