To enjoy e-sports even more, LCK Title and LCK Subtitle
Collaborating with a game company to create fonts
LCK Title and LCK Subtitle fonts were part of a project that began in November 2020 with Riot Games, an online game developer, and concluded in September 2021. Known for being the developer of the game League of Legends (LoL) in Korea. When we first received the inquiry, we were excited about the possibility of undertaking a unique and enjoyable project with a gaming-related company.
Riot Games hosts the LCK e-sports tournament annually. As this tournament is broadcast worldwide, there was a growing need to use a consistent font across various contents, including live broadcasts. Therefore, there was a need for a font family that could represent the voice of LCK effectively.
The Latin fonts, Chaney Extended and Termina, which were already in effective use, were produced by an overseas font foundry. While these Latin fonts were retained, the main objective was to create a new Hangul font that would complement these existing Latin fonts.
matching Latin and Korean characters
Matching Latin and Hangul was a unique aspect of this project due to the pre-existing use and specific requirements of the client. As these fonts were already in use, the client's requirements and improvement points were quite clear. Hence, communication proceeded smoothly without major obstacles. The main points of discussion revolved around creating Hangul fonts that matched the width of the pre-existing Latin fonts while ensuring readability and appearance.
1.Width of Hangul
The Latin fonts used for titles and subtitles had a significantly wide width, as they were extended fonts. Wide fonts provide a stable overall impression and attract attention when used for display purposes. However, creating Hangul fonts with a width similar to Latin fonts can be challenging due to the block structure of Hangul characters. It was essential to achieve a width that was as similar as possible to Latin fonts without being too excessive or difficult to read.
2. Size and baseline difference between Hangul and Latin
Hangul and Latin have different combination methods and significant differences in form from the outset, so alignment and size differences between characters are inevitable. While Hangul is positioned in the middle of a square and has a solid shape, Latin characters have ascenders and descenders based on the baseline.
- Ascender: The part of a Latin character that extends above the x-height line, such as 'b, d, h.'
- Descender: The part of a Latin character that extends below the x-height line, such as 'g, j, p.'
- x-height: The height of the lowercase letters in Latin characters.
LCK Title and LCK Subtitle fonts took a different approach to the typical size difference between Hangul and Latin characters. Since they were fonts with specific usability and a clear direction, they were designed to meet the requirements of their usage.
LCK Title almost equalized the physical size of Hangul and Latin uppercase letters, considering the environment where Hangul and Latin are often mixed.
LCK Subtitle underwent slight visual adjustments as it was intended for smaller usage sizes. Hence, it was essential to consider the differences in inner spaces. Throughout the design process, concepts were developed by continually comparing Hangul and Latin.
Design differences according to the usability of title and subtitle
Design differences based on title and subtitle usability led to the creation of two styles. The title font was designed for large sizes to attract attention, while the subtitle font was intended for smaller sizes.
1. Character width and weight
Character width and weight LCK Title was designed for use in large sizes for titles, so it had a significantly wide width. We tried to reflect the width of the pre-existing Latin fonts as much as possible, and the weight was made as thick as possible.
LCK Subtitle, on the other hand, was intended for smaller usage than the title, and since it had three weights, we designed it with a more general use in mind. Therefore, the character width was narrower than the title, and even compared to the thickest weight, it was made slightly thinner.
「LCK 타이틀」 / 「LCK 서브타이틀 Medium」 / 「LCK 서브타이틀 Regular」
2. a character in letters
Character personality Even the detailed character of the letter shows the difference between the title and the subtitle.
For LCK Title, we wanted to adopt Latin characters as intuitively as possible. Especially, we found the shapes of uppercase A and V interesting and wanted to reflect them appropriately in Hangul characters such as ㅅ, ㅈ, ㅊ.
In contrast, for LCK Subtitle, rather than applying Latin characters directly, we wanted to reflect them in a way that suits Hangul as much as possible. Unlike the title, which adopted the straightforward features of Latin, the subtitle was carefully designed to harmonize with the curves of Hangul.
「LCK 타이틀」
「LCK 서브타이틀」
Redesign of Latin and numerals
During the project, we decided to make some adjustments to the Latin and numerals. Although the existing fonts were already well-made, there were some inconveniences when used in the LCK league, and we aimed to address them to some extent. The modifications mainly focused on the following points.
1. Degree of Aperture
The most commonly used Latin characters were L, C, K. Especially, the aperture (the space between the ends of the strokes) of the letter C in the existing font was too closed, making it difficult to read correctly, especially when viewed on low-resolution monitors, where it could be mistaken for the capital letter O. Therefore, while reducing the potential for misreading, we modified it to a form that could convey the brand image and concept of LCK. While modifying C, similar letters such as G and S were also adjusted in the same context.
수정 전 라틴
수정 후 라틴
2. Angle of numerals
There was also a need to modify numerals. For example, the diagonal stroke of numeral 1 was somewhat long, leading to it being mistaken for numeral 7 in many cases. Therefore, we adjusted the width to a more standard level.
Additionally, numerals 6 and 9 also had issues. The steep angle of the diagonal strokes in the existing forms caused the strokes to bunch up and make it difficult to read when used small. Therefore, the angles were slightly softened to improve readability.
수정 전 숫자
수정 후 숫자
Usage examples
Below are images of the LCK Title and LCK Subtitle fonts in use. Seeing them used effectively in the spring league was a refreshing experience. It was an enjoyable project to work on fonts for engaging game content, given the inherent excitement in gaming content itself.
To enjoy e-sports even more, LCK Title and LCK Subtitle
Collaborating with a game company to create fonts
LCK Title and LCK Subtitle fonts were part of a project that began in November 2020 with Riot Games, an online game developer, and concluded in September 2021. Known for being the developer of the game League of Legends (LoL) in Korea. When we first received the inquiry, we were excited about the possibility of undertaking a unique and enjoyable project with a gaming-related company.
Riot Games hosts the LCK e-sports tournament annually. As this tournament is broadcast worldwide, there was a growing need to use a consistent font across various contents, including live broadcasts. Therefore, there was a need for a font family that could represent the voice of LCK effectively.
The Latin fonts, Chaney Extended and Termina, which were already in effective use, were produced by an overseas font foundry. While these Latin fonts were retained, the main objective was to create a new Hangul font that would complement these existing Latin fonts.
matching Latin and Korean characters
Matching Latin and Hangul was a unique aspect of this project due to the pre-existing use and specific requirements of the client. As these fonts were already in use, the client's requirements and improvement points were quite clear. Hence, communication proceeded smoothly without major obstacles. The main points of discussion revolved around creating Hangul fonts that matched the width of the pre-existing Latin fonts while ensuring readability and appearance.
1.Width of Hangul
The Latin fonts used for titles and subtitles had a significantly wide width, as they were extended fonts. Wide fonts provide a stable overall impression and attract attention when used for display purposes. However, creating Hangul fonts with a width similar to Latin fonts can be challenging due to the block structure of Hangul characters. It was essential to achieve a width that was as similar as possible to Latin fonts without being too excessive or difficult to read.
2. Size and baseline difference between Hangul and Latin
Hangul and Latin have different combination methods and significant differences in form from the outset, so alignment and size differences between characters are inevitable. While Hangul is positioned in the middle of a square and has a solid shape, Latin characters have ascenders and descenders based on the baseline.
LCK Title and LCK Subtitle fonts took a different approach to the typical size difference between Hangul and Latin characters. Since they were fonts with specific usability and a clear direction, they were designed to meet the requirements of their usage.
LCK Title almost equalized the physical size of Hangul and Latin uppercase letters, considering the environment where Hangul and Latin are often mixed.
LCK Subtitle underwent slight visual adjustments as it was intended for smaller usage sizes. Hence, it was essential to consider the differences in inner spaces. Throughout the design process, concepts were developed by continually comparing Hangul and Latin.
Design differences according to the usability of title and subtitle
Design differences based on title and subtitle usability led to the creation of two styles. The title font was designed for large sizes to attract attention, while the subtitle font was intended for smaller sizes.
1. Character width and weight
Character width and weight LCK Title was designed for use in large sizes for titles, so it had a significantly wide width. We tried to reflect the width of the pre-existing Latin fonts as much as possible, and the weight was made as thick as possible.
LCK Subtitle, on the other hand, was intended for smaller usage than the title, and since it had three weights, we designed it with a more general use in mind. Therefore, the character width was narrower than the title, and even compared to the thickest weight, it was made slightly thinner.
「LCK 타이틀」 / 「LCK 서브타이틀 Medium」 / 「LCK 서브타이틀 Regular」
2. a character in letters
Character personality Even the detailed character of the letter shows the difference between the title and the subtitle.
For LCK Title, we wanted to adopt Latin characters as intuitively as possible. Especially, we found the shapes of uppercase A and V interesting and wanted to reflect them appropriately in Hangul characters such as ㅅ, ㅈ, ㅊ.
In contrast, for LCK Subtitle, rather than applying Latin characters directly, we wanted to reflect them in a way that suits Hangul as much as possible. Unlike the title, which adopted the straightforward features of Latin, the subtitle was carefully designed to harmonize with the curves of Hangul.
「LCK 타이틀」
「LCK 서브타이틀」
Redesign of Latin and numerals
During the project, we decided to make some adjustments to the Latin and numerals. Although the existing fonts were already well-made, there were some inconveniences when used in the LCK league, and we aimed to address them to some extent. The modifications mainly focused on the following points.
1. Degree of Aperture
The most commonly used Latin characters were L, C, K. Especially, the aperture (the space between the ends of the strokes) of the letter C in the existing font was too closed, making it difficult to read correctly, especially when viewed on low-resolution monitors, where it could be mistaken for the capital letter O. Therefore, while reducing the potential for misreading, we modified it to a form that could convey the brand image and concept of LCK. While modifying C, similar letters such as G and S were also adjusted in the same context.
수정 전 라틴
수정 후 라틴
2. Angle of numerals
There was also a need to modify numerals. For example, the diagonal stroke of numeral 1 was somewhat long, leading to it being mistaken for numeral 7 in many cases. Therefore, we adjusted the width to a more standard level.
Additionally, numerals 6 and 9 also had issues. The steep angle of the diagonal strokes in the existing forms caused the strokes to bunch up and make it difficult to read when used small. Therefore, the angles were slightly softened to improve readability.
수정 전 숫자
수정 후 숫자
Usage examples
Below are images of the LCK Title and LCK Subtitle fonts in use. Seeing them used effectively in the spring league was a refreshing experience. It was an enjoyable project to work on fonts for engaging game content, given the inherent excitement in gaming content itself.