The Noramoji Project is a Website and an Opensource project. The old fonts used on the signs of local stores may not be as sophisticated as a precisely designed commercial font, but these “stray letters” (Noramoji) still have their own unique charm. This project’s starting point was the desire to rediscover and archive the charm of these signs, from their design to their antique-like craftsmanship and the aging of materials. The “stray letters” discovered through the project are analyzed and then converted into usable computer fonts. By then distributing the font data online, more people can learn about the fonts on the old signs. The profits generated by the sales are given back to the owners of the original signs, helping to support their maintenance for future generations, passing on the scenery of regional towns and cities, and creating what we might call a typographic folk art movement. During the Ars Electronica Festival, the Noramoji Project is linking Ars Electronica with Japanese Shops. T-shirts bearing designs based on shop signs will be displayed at Ars Electronica. Visitors will be able to take a T-shirt home in exchange for a donation to the shop concerned, thereby linking Ars Electronica visitors to the shops in faraway Japan. The Noramoji Project will establish a donation cycle.
Supported by Japan Media Arts Festival