Description

Reborn brings old and new forms together in an angular display typeface.
A gothic structure meets Ming/Song stroke details, making it a distinctive option for headlines, identities and packaging.
The design expresses the idea of beginning again through the character of its letterforms.

Reborn

5,300 Traditional Chinese characters | Regular and Italic | A Hong Kong type project
Words carry identity; type gives them a voice.
Hong Kong has changed rapidly over the past decade. Streets, signs, letterforms, expressions, accents and cultural practices have gradually faded, diminished or disappeared. Type can quietly bear witness to a city. Reborn is my response to that experience.

The starting point: standing up again
During a period many Hong Kong people will remember, I began to ask what a typeface might look like if it could hold a particular character, tone and determination.
I did not want simply to look back, or to romanticise sorrow. Rebirth meant rebuilding after injury and finding roots again. Reborn grew from that idea.
Its roughness, angles and rebellious energy are an expression of being present. For me, the project is also about renewing a sense of purpose within type design.

The stroke language: direct and resolute
The basic proposition is straightforward: the structure of a gothic face with the stroke details of Ming/Song.
Heavy verticals suggest standing firm. Diagonal entries recall a blade or pen nib. Flared terminals bring an outward movement, while decisive turns keep the construction direct.
Some readers find it weighty; others describe it as tough, or like someone finding their feet again. It is intended to have a palpable presence.

Regular and Italic: two voices in one family
Regular stands firm: measured and stable, like resolve after a deep breath. Suggested uses include brand lettering, slogans, and headings in reports, books and cultural publications.
Italic moves forward: it brings speed and tension to advertising lines, sports graphics, exhibition identities, posters and motion captions.
One says, ‘I am here’; the other, ‘I am moving forward.’

Character coverage: 5,300 Traditional Chinese characters
The set includes common Hong Kong forms and traditional stroke structures, with 5,300 Chinese characters in each of the Regular and Italic styles. It can be applied in print, identities, social media and motion graphics, subject to the licence.
Traditional Chinese carries cultural depth; Hong Kong letterforms also carry a particular tone. The design seeks to retain that sense of place.

Who it is for
Writers and designers; brands and arts organisations; publishing, exhibitions and cultural projects; social-media creators and filmmakers; and people interested in language and memory.
For me, Reborn carries an attitude as well as a visual treatment.

Typesetting: let the letterforms speak
Reborn has a pronounced presence even in a simple setting. Its effect still depends on the content, size and spacing.
Suggested approaches:
Use it at display sizes.
Let a strong black-and-white contrast reveal the forms.
Pair it with a simpler sans-serif for supporting text.
Generous space with large type gives the forms room; tighter compositions and framing can recall the urgency of a political poster.

In the designer’s words
The idea is not only to make something attractive, but to express that we are still here.

Your download includes
Reborn Regular in OTF and TTF
Reborn Italic in OTF and TTF
Typesetting examples
Commercial licence documentation

In use

Licence scope

Permitted uses include the following:

One user, two devices
The 1–2–2 rule: one licensed user may download the two font files and install and use them on two digital devices.

Commercial design use is permitted
You may use the fonts in social media, print, products and client design work. Export the finished artwork with text converted to outlines or as images to avoid distributing the font files.

Printing on products
You may print words or sentences in the typeface on products and packaging. Using a single character alone on a product is not included.

A licence for each person who uses the fonts
For example, an advertising agency with four designers using the fonts needs four user licences. A company with 100 employees only needs six licences if six people will actually use the fonts.

Please pay particular attention to these restrictions:

Do not supply or share the font files
Remember the 1–2–2 rule. The licence may not be transferred, resold, sold, distributed, rented, lent, shared or sublicensed to an unlicensed third party.
One licensed user may download the two font files for installation and use on two devices.
When sending artwork to a printer, convert the text to outlines or supply an image. Do not pass the font files to a third party.

Do not embed the fonts in apps, websites or games
A webfont service is not currently included. For the platforms above, use text converted to outlines or images rather than uploading or embedding the font files.

For questions about the fonts or missing characters, please leave your contact details:

Terms and conditions for purchasing and using Moodmen Font typefaces

Please read this agreement carefully. Downloading, installing or using the fonts signifies agreement to all its terms.
This agreement is enforceable against any person or legal entity using the fonts. If you do not agree, do not use the fonts and immediately delete all copies of the font files.

All intellectual property rights in the fonts belong to Moodmen Font.
You are purchasing a licence to use the fonts, not their copyright or the right to resell the font files.
Under no circumstances may a user forward font files to a third party. The fonts must be purchased through the website, then downloaded and installed for use.
Subject to compliance with this agreement, Moodmen Font grants the user the right to download, install and use the fonts.

Licence: one user, two devices

• Unless separately agreed in writing with Moodmen Font, the user may install and use one copy of the font files on the number of single-user computers covered by the licences purchased. If a computer has multiple operating systems, the fonts may also be installed and used in its other operating systems.
• The user may also install and use a backup copy on the corresponding number of portable computers, or computers in a different building from the primary computer. The fonts may not be used on both computers at the same time.
• Within the licence scope, download the font file on the computer where it will be used. To use it on another computer, sign in to moodmenfont.com on that computer, then download and install it. Each licence allows two downloads. If a computer replacement or similar circumstance requires a download reset, email moodmenfont@gmail.com explaining the reason.
• Within the licence scope, the user may use the fonts perpetually for commercial and non-commercial purposes.
• Purchasing a licence includes free, perpetual updates to versions with the same character set.
• This licence does not include software, e-book or webfont embedding rights.

Restrictions

• Do not forward the font files to third parties by any means.
• Do not reproduce or modify all or any part of the fonts, or transfer them to a third party for commercial or non-commercial use.
• Do not use the fonts’ outline data or graphic representations to develop new typefaces or image libraries, or for direct or indirect commercial or non-commercial exploitation of that data.
• Unless separately agreed in writing with Moodmen Font, do not incorporate the fonts in third-party software, hardware or online applications, including but not limited to games consoles, mobile phones and e-books.
• Unless separately agreed in writing with Moodmen Font, do not make products using a single character alone; words and sentences are not subject to that particular restriction. Do not turn all or any part of the fonts into image-library products in any form for commercial or non-commercial purposes.
• Unless separately agreed in writing with Moodmen Font, do not install the fonts on any form of computer server, including physical or virtual storage connected to an intranet, extranet or the internet, to allow users or any other person to download, install or otherwise use the fonts directly or indirectly, commercially or non-commercially.
• Do not allow other users to use the fonts on another computer through remote login, remote desktop or similar technology.

For a licence covering uses outside this agreement, contact Moodmen Font at moodmenfont@gmail.com to agree on separate terms and fees.

Breach of any term will terminate the licence, and Moodmen Font reserves the right to seek damages.

Moodmen Font accepts no liability for damage or loss arising from use of the licensed fonts.

If a provision conflicts with applicable law, the remaining provisions remain valid and enforceable.