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
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
Shoko Mugikura
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”
Books, Articles & Interviews
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
Shoko Mugikura
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”