Black Beruto

Black Beruto is a Latin font that referenced Asian calligraphy.
The current Asian-referenced fonts, many are overly triangular/boxy, or heavily rely on brush strokes. On the other hand, many Asian businesses use typical Latin fonts for modern presentations. This typeface was made in the sense of not overly exotic modern style. “Black Beruto” is a translation of black belt in Japanese, and is a certification for fighters in East Asian martial arts. The name represents its appearance and bold character.

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Process

In the process, I referenced two images:
(1) A modern style Chinese lettering that was very thick and eliminated unnecessary brush texture
(2) A traditional Japanese display type called Yose-moji/Edo-moji. It’s also very thick but has very thin curvy strokes as an accent.

Challenge

Finding the perfect balance between Asian calligraphic influences and Latin typographic principles. I carefully calibrated exotic characteristics, ultimately scaling back toward a more refined sans serif approach that maintains cultural references without sacrificing versatility or appearing stereotypical.

Developing narrower variants to expand the typeface family, enhancing its utility across diverse design contexts while preserving the distinctive East-meets-West character that defines its identity.