Shiyang He 
Wang Wen Since China’s modern typography industry began in the 1950s, type design theory has been developing for decades. However, much of the research on Hanzi design remains based on calligraphic education and the drawing of individual characters. Meanwhile, existing typographic conventions in everyday practice have not been systematized into a practical theory. Furthermore, current typographic research and education often overlook localized studies of reading behavior and its influence on type design, typesetting, and layout decisions.As a result, type designers and typographers lack localized theoretical support when creating “functional typefaces” or “functional layouts.”
To address these research and design gaps, FounderType has launched a series of studies on how reading behaviors and environments influence typeface and typographic choices. Ultimately, FounderType will propose several typographic solutions tailored to the scenarios studied.
Based on FounderType’s observations, there are four key areas in need of typographic solutions: packaging information, car cockpit information, micro-sized text, and wayfinding system typefaces.In the first part of this talk, the speaker will provide a brief introduction to type trends in China’s market for 2026. This will be followed by a discussion of the “functional typeface” trend.The second part will introduce solutions we released in 2024 and 2025. These were developed by FounderType to address design challenges in packaging and car cockpit information. The typeface for packaging is named FZPanhuBaozhuangTi, and the one for car cockpits is FZYuejiaHei. The speaker will elaborate on the design and rationale behind these typefaces, including why specific design choices were made. For example, FZPanhuBaozhuangTi was developed in response to current national standards for packaging information, while FZYuejiaHei was created based on collaborative research with institutions—findings that have contributed to national standards for car cockpit information design.
The third part will cover ongoing research and projects related to micro-sized text and wayfinding typefaces. Here, the speaker will explain the research methodology and project milestones. Expected deliverables include experimental data and printed samples based on the current stage of development.