R K Joshi
Encyclopedia
Professor R K Joshi was an academic type design
er and calligrapher
. He designed the core Indian fonts used in Microsoft Windows
.
. He developed an interest in alphabets, their shapes, styles and design. In 1952, he decided to study art at Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Art
, Mumbai
. During this time he found a scarcity of typefaces in Indian languages. He took up extra classes at the Government Institute of Printing Technology, located within the institute premises, where he learned that Indian typefaces were intricate and had many problems in typesetting. He participated in the first exhibition on Indian typefaces at the college.
, he found a new world of calligraphy to explore. He applied it to the Indian context and explored Indic scripts in Calligraphic styles. He studied the rarest manuscripts in Indic languages, of which his inspiration was a book titled Bharatiya Pracheen Lipimala by an Indian Author Ojha. This book brought to him the world of ancient scripts, like Brahmi, Sharda, Kautilya and Gupta scripts. After an intense research on these scripts, in 1966, he designed his first two fonts.
One of his challenging works was the design of the Adi Shankaracharya stamp on the occasion of Shankaracharya (Philosopher) Commemoration. There were conflicts about highlighting the picture of the saint, Prof Joshi found the solution as a logo for the philosophy itself of Advaitvad (non-dualism). This stamp was released on 17 May 1989.
from 1983 - 1996.
since 1976. His R&D on the Desha Coding Scheme in 1982, under the guidance of Prof R Narsimhan; design of Pa Latino a software for digital typeface design, in collaboration with Dr. P K Ghosh; innovative computer graphics with Indian letterforms; dot matrix fonts and PS fonts as a step towards multilingual text processors like Aalekh (Hinditron), Vividha(CMC), Vidura(IGNCA).
He retired in 1996, only to be deeply involved with C-DAC
as the Visiting Design Specialist. The Microsoft Project, a series of O/S fonts were developed for Microsoft for their Windows 2000 to enable typing in Indian languages on Windows. Another series of multilingual fonts for 12 Indian languages were developed under project ‘IndiX’. His next initiatives were to develop an applied research project so as to develop his ‘Texta’ models into real innovative typographic outputs using digital technology.
He also wrote poems and undertook the first ever calligraphic research in Indian manuscripts and epigraphic writings.
He was one of the featured speakers in ICOGRADA, India in 2008.
Prof Joshi gave an interview in Sep 2006, to Typeradio at ATypI in Lisbon.
Type design
Type design is the art of designing typefaces.- History :Although the technology of printing text using movable type was invented in China, and despite the esteem which calligraphy held in that civilization, the vast number of Chinese characters meant that few distinctive, complete fonts could be...
er and calligrapher
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
. He designed the core Indian fonts used in Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
.
Early life
Joshi was born into a middle class Indian family. He was brought up in the town of Kolhapur, MaharashtraMaharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
. He developed an interest in alphabets, their shapes, styles and design. In 1952, he decided to study art at Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Art
Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Art
Sir J. J. Institute of Applied Art is an Indian applied art institution based in Mumbai. It is a state government college that was created through its sister school, the Sir J. J. School of Art. The "Sir J. J." in the name stands for Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy, a Parsi philanthropist whose name is...
, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. During this time he found a scarcity of typefaces in Indian languages. He took up extra classes at the Government Institute of Printing Technology, located within the institute premises, where he learned that Indian typefaces were intricate and had many problems in typesetting. He participated in the first exhibition on Indian typefaces at the college.
Professional life
His first professional experience was with D.J. Keymer & Co. (now O&M) in 1956. In 1961, he joined ULKA Advertising (now DraftFCB+Ulka) as Art Director. He started designing campaigns on issues regarding Family Planning and Farmers and to unite the entire country, he designed the campaigns in various Indian languages. His efforts were questioned, but he stuck to his philosophy and thought process. He created some stunning logos including the Welcome Group, capturing the ethos of an Indian welcome and Punjab National Bank, aptly utilizing the alphabet P in Punjabi. He designed several advertisements for Nerolac Paints and Crompton Greaves using Indian calligraphy, designed exclusive menus for the Taj Group and stationery for Chimanlals. He brought the concept of multilingual ad campaigns in India, opening up to languages crossing states. The first ever such campaign was the Ashok Jain Campaign.Tryst with Types
Influenced by the books of Italian Masters like ArrighiLudovico Vicentino degli Arrighi
Ludovico Vicentino degli Arrighi was a papal scribe, and type designer in Renaissance Italy.Very little is known of the circumstances of his life. He may have started his career as a writing master in Venice, although this has been disputed....
, he found a new world of calligraphy to explore. He applied it to the Indian context and explored Indic scripts in Calligraphic styles. He studied the rarest manuscripts in Indic languages, of which his inspiration was a book titled Bharatiya Pracheen Lipimala by an Indian Author Ojha. This book brought to him the world of ancient scripts, like Brahmi, Sharda, Kautilya and Gupta scripts. After an intense research on these scripts, in 1966, he designed his first two fonts.
One of his challenging works was the design of the Adi Shankaracharya stamp on the occasion of Shankaracharya (Philosopher) Commemoration. There were conflicts about highlighting the picture of the saint, Prof Joshi found the solution as a logo for the philosophy itself of Advaitvad (non-dualism). This stamp was released on 17 May 1989.
Teaching Design
He was a professor of Calligraphy, Type Design and Typography at IDC, IIT, MumbaiIndustrial Design Centre
Industrial Design Centre is a premier Design School in India, established in 1969, by the government of India at the campus of Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai ....
from 1983 - 1996.
Association with C-DAC
He was associated with National Centre for Software Technology (NCST), now Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC)Centre for Development of Advanced Computing
Centre for Development of Advanced Computing is a research and development organization under the Department of Information Technology, India.-History:...
since 1976. His R&D on the Desha Coding Scheme in 1982, under the guidance of Prof R Narsimhan; design of Pa Latino a software for digital typeface design, in collaboration with Dr. P K Ghosh; innovative computer graphics with Indian letterforms; dot matrix fonts and PS fonts as a step towards multilingual text processors like Aalekh (Hinditron), Vividha(CMC), Vidura(IGNCA).
He retired in 1996, only to be deeply involved with C-DAC
Centre for Development of Advanced Computing
Centre for Development of Advanced Computing is a research and development organization under the Department of Information Technology, India.-History:...
as the Visiting Design Specialist. The Microsoft Project, a series of O/S fonts were developed for Microsoft for their Windows 2000 to enable typing in Indian languages on Windows. Another series of multilingual fonts for 12 Indian languages were developed under project ‘IndiX’. His next initiatives were to develop an applied research project so as to develop his ‘Texta’ models into real innovative typographic outputs using digital technology.
Exhibitions and Activities
He held several exhibitions like Aakar in Delhi, Prathama in Mumbai, Akshara in Germany. He actively conducted national and international workshops, seminars and lecture tours for the spread of typography. His R&D in Indian Paleography, Epigraphy and Manuscriptology are phenomenal works to inculcate a new generation of aesthetic Indian typefaces.He also wrote poems and undertook the first ever calligraphic research in Indian manuscripts and epigraphic writings.
He was one of the featured speakers in ICOGRADA, India in 2008.
The Happenings
His passion for letterforms brought a new trend on the streets of Bombay. Around 16 Multilingual ‘Happenings’ were staged in a single year. The main aim was to expose the rich heritage of Indian scripts to the common man. The look and sound of Indian alphabets were brought out as an experience through music, theatre and dance.Prof Joshi gave an interview in Sep 2006, to Typeradio at ATypI in Lisbon.
Honours
- Bukva-raz, an International Award for his ‘Raghu’ font
- Cag Hall of fameCommunication Arts GuildCommunication Arts Guild or CAG is an organisation dedicated to Indian Advertising Industry and encouraging budding artists. It serves as an example of the high quality of work done in Visual Communication today. Located in Mumbai, this is the only organisation which has the complete record of the...
, 1990 - Lifetime achievement award by Ad Club, 2004
- ATypIATypIThe ATypI or the Association Typographique Internationale is an international non-profit organisation dedicated to typography.-The organisation:...
country delegate for India - Type Director’s Club
- ICOGRADA