Simplified & Traditional Chinese Fonts for Global Design Teams: Introducing Arphic
- morisawausa
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
Table of Contents
Founded in 1990 at the dawn of the personal computing era, Arphic Types began as a group of colleagues determined to adapt Western font technology to the Chinese language. Motivated by the opportunity to build a truly global business, they chose typeface design as their core mission—laying the foundation for one of Taiwan’s most influential digital font foundries.
1. Get to Know Arphic Types
・A Massive Library of Simplified & Traditional Chinese Fonts
Arphic Types is a respected type foundry based in Taiwan, known for its wide-ranging Chinese font library. With over 300 Simplified Chinese fonts and more than 400 Traditional Chinese fonts, Arphic offers one of the most diverse collections available for designers today.
・Unified Typography for Multilingual Design
Now working closely with Morisawa, Arphic is part of a broader design initiative that connects Chinese and Japanese typography. This partnership helps teams achieve a unified visual tone across languages—while also streamlining font licensing for multilingual projects.
In this article, we introduce several of Arphic’s standout typefaces and share examples of how they can be used effectively in graphic design.
2. Highlight Fonts from the Arphic Library
・Flagship Picks: UDJingXiHei, ShuYuanSong, & FangXinShu
While this blog offers just a glimpse into Arphic Types’ extensive library, we’ve selected a handful of standout examples to highlight the expressive power of their fonts. These samples reflect the wide range of tones and aesthetics possible—even within the intricate forms of Chinese characters.
To get a glimpse of Arphic Types’ unique contribution to Chinese typography, we’ve selected a few key examples from their extensive library. These flagship fonts highlight just how expressive and versatile Chinese characters can be—across both Simplified and Traditional Chinese, and across a full range of weights and design intentions.
Fun fact: All the characters shown below spell out the word “library” (圖書館 / 图书馆)—offering a helpful side-by-side reference of how different styles impact the same text.
AR UDJingXiHei is a versatile sans-serif-style Chinese font designed for both Simplified and Traditional Chinese scripts. Built with modern elements and generous spacing, it is optimized for clear, horizontal reading—making it ideal for multilingual interfaces, global websites, and editorial layouts.
Recognized for its universal appeal, UDJingXiHei received the Good Design Award in 2013 and is now used in over 110 countries and regions worldwide.
AR ShuYuanSong is a Ming-style Chinese font that blends traditional craftsmanship with modern visual clarity. It features elegant brush-inspired strokes, calligraphic details, and subtle ink traps—echoing techniques once used in phototypesetting. With its balance of rounded and sharp forms, it stands out among out among other Ming-style fonts and includes distinctive serifs rarely seen in Chinese type design.
AR FangXinShu is a modern sans-serif-style font that balances softness and structure. Inspired by the graceful forms of Ming-style type, it delivers strong readability with a gentle tone. Similar in feeling to Morisawa’s Japanese Folk font, it’s well-suited for everything from headlines to packaging and long-form reading.
・Shared Aesthetic: The Suiryu Series Connection
The Suiryu series, a Japanese display font line introduced in 2022, was developed in collaboration with Arphic Types.
Since both Japanese and Traditional Chinese fonts share many kanji characters, the series was designed by combining the kanji characters from Arphic Types’ Traditional Chinese fonts with kana and non-kanji characters from Morisawa.
This makes it easier to use Japanese and Chinese fonts that follow a shared design concept.
It also supports a unified visual identity across multilingual designs—helping streamline font selections and reduce time spent matching typefaces.
3. Arphic’s Global Design Journey
Founded in 1990, Arphic Types is one of Taiwan’s pioneering digital type foundries. The company was created to meet the growing demand for high-quality digital fonts during the early stages of desktop publishing in Chinese-speaking regions.
・Taiwan to the World: A Foundry’s Origins and Reach
Their business has transcended borders, and the inclusion of Arphic Types fonts in word processing software contributed to a rapid expansion of their fonts in Japan in the 2000s. Experiencing the demand for high quality in Japan was instrumental to their market development, helping them to evolve into a globally trusted company.
Today, the company continues to serve a wide range of industries—from traditional print to modern UI and screen-based applications.
・Design Trends and Real-World Applications
To close out, we’d like to share some of the latest real-world examples from Arphic Types’ current font collections. These visuals reflect how their fonts are being applied across packaging, signage, and publication design—often blending Simplified and Traditional Chinese fonts within a unified visual system.
These projects also demonstrate how Taiwanese designers are pushing the boundaries of Chinese typography by balancing readability with stylistic expression. The ability to deploy fonts that reflect both clarity and cultural nuance is especially valuable for creative teams navigating multilingual projects.
Whether you’re working on international packaging, editorial layouts, or UI components, Arphic’s latest designs offer practical inspiration—and proof of how thoughtful type design can amplify your message.
・Font Mockups in Action: Signage, Branding, & Retro Styles
Let’s take a look at how Arphic fonts are being used across a range of real-world designs—from storefronts to street posters and beyond.
Arphic Types influence quickly spread beyond Taiwan. Their fonts were integrated into major word processing software in Japan, fueling widespread adoption in the 2000’s.
Th demand for high-quality fonts in Japan played a pivotal role in Arphic’s evolution—from a regional innovator into a globally recognized foundry.
Today as part of the Morisawa Group, Arphic Types is deepening its role in international type development and expanding its global partnerships.
If you’ve visited Taiwan, you’ve likely seen these lively, nostalgic signboard styles in markets and food stalls.
This design features the AR QianZiBi font (Simplified Chinese / Traditional Chinese), which combines expressive brushstroke-inspired forms with sturdy marker-like outlines. The large characters for “酒樓” and “牛肉湯” echo the look of handwritten signage, while the Latin characters and fine lines add visual contrast and hierarchy.
This bold pairing helps designers strike the right balance between tradition and modern display needs—making it ideal for food branding, retro signage, and themed identity work.
The AR Mochi font (Simplified Chinese / Traditional Chinese), used in the “白玉茶铺” (Bái Yù Tea Shop) logo, is inspired by sunlight and a human-centered philosophy in harmony with nature. With circular accents and contrasting horizontal and vertical strokes, it brings a sense of warmth and gentle rhythm—ideal for creating approachable, expressive typography. This same font served as the basis for the Chinese adaption of Morisawa’s Suiryu Kiraboshi font.
This design reimagines the classic maneki-neko (beckoning cat) using bold, retro-inspired typography. The character “好,” shown in the emoji-style font AR ZanMei, draws from Edo-period aesthetics and is based on the AR KanTingLiu font (Simplified Chinese / Traditional Chinese). Meanwhile, the characters for “招き” use the AR XinYi font (Simplified Chinese / Traditional Chinese), adding geometric flair and a contemporary edge.
Together, these elements create a playful, pop-style visual that merges nostalgic motifs with modern graphic energy—perfect for editorial layouts or eye-catching merch designs.
Wrapping Up & Final Thoughts
While we weren’t able to introduce it this time, Arphic Types also provide extensive support for custom Chinese font development.
Due to their massive character sets, Chinese fonts often require advanced technical solutions—something Arphic has successfully delivered through the years of proven project experience.
Whether you’re exploring multilingual typography, entering new Asian markets, or building stronger creative systems across Japanese and Chinese languages, Arphic Types and Morisawa can help support your vision.
Have questions about font usage in Asia or a project idea in mind?
Feel free to reach out—we’re here to help.
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