Pangram Pangram Releases PP Kyoto, a Slab Serif Bridging Japanese and Western Typography

Key facts

• PP Kyoto is a bold typeface design by Pangram Pangram® that bridges Japanese writing systems with architectural slab serif geometry.
• The typeface was developed by Caio Kondo, Francesca Bolognini, and Mat Desjardins.
• It emerged from years of iterative exploration into how Western slab serifs interact with Japanese letterforms.
• The design pairs heavy horizontal slabs with soft, sweeping teardrop terminals, creating visual tension.
• Prominent circular dots punctuate the glyphs, establishing an energetic rhythmic flow.
• The family spans nine calibrated weights from Thin to Heavy, with matching italic cuts.
• It includes 692 glyphs with comprehensive multilingual coverage across Latin characters, Japanese Hiragana, and Katakana, plus complete regional punctuation marks.
• Meticulous glyph construction features subtle optical adjustments, an expressive alternate Q, organic terminals, and tailored ligatures for display compositions.
• At large display scales, the stark geometric slab serifs provide unyielding structural stability; at smaller editorial text grades, generous counterforms and fluid stroke details preserve clarity.
• The project demonstrates utility in physical environments and brand touchpoints, including crisp white window graphics on a glass entrance door with natural oak frames and architectural brass hardware.
• On tactile packaging such as white paper takeout bags and crinkled kraft coffee pouches, the typography holds crisp definition against textured substrates.
• Deep black linocut arches and dense ink coverage emphasize the typeface's affinity for specialty retail, hospitality, and editorial publishing systems.