Insight
A Type Designer’s Overseas Travelogue
Beginning
As international travel routes reopen one by one in the post-pandemic era, more people seem to be heading abroad. When you think of overseas travel, what comes to mind first? Delicious food, famous landmarks, unusual buildings, and unfamiliar experiences. My cousin, who is a chef, can instantly list a country’s representative dishes at the mere mention of its name. In contrast, as a type designer, I have a peculiar occupational habit: the first thing I think about is the language and script used in that country. I believe language carries the soul of a nation, and that within scripts—and the typography that embodies them—you can sense a country’s history and culture.
This summer, I was fortunate to spend a month on a workation abroad. Through the eyes of a type designer, I would like to share with you the streets and letters of Singapore, China, and Taiwan that I encountered during that time.
Airports
The first place we arrive when traveling abroad is the airport. Let us begin by looking at airport signage. Airports are typographically fascinating spaces. Vast in scale and filled with people of different ages and nationalities moving in countless directions, they must rely on large, clear, and unambiguous instructions to prevent confusion. Highly legible type, well-considered layouts, and intuitive pictograms that transcend language—observing how letters perform their roles throughout an airport makes the long walk from the plane to immigration far less tedious.
Although there are slight variations, airport signage generally operates as a set composed of:
(1) the official language of the country,
(2) English as the international lingua franca,
(3) intuitive pictograms, and
(4) arrows.
Keeping this framework in mind, let us examine how different countries apply it.
1. Korea – Incheon International Airport
This is Incheon International Airport in Korea. The Hangul used here is a dedicated Incheon International Airport typeface. The rounded ieung, symmetrical siot, and densely filled letterforms subtly recall the appearance of early Hangul as seen in Hunminjeongeum. What impression do you get?
In addition to Korean and English, Chinese and Japanese are often included on signage to accommodate the many visitors from those countries. Airports sometimes incorporate the languages of their most frequent users in this way.
2. Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur International Airport
Next is Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia. I passed through Malaysia briefly while transiting to Singapore, and several interesting details stood out. On the signage, Malay—the official language—is set prominently, while English appears smaller. Transfer routes are marked in green and arrivals in yellow, helping travelers distinguish paths easily. Facilities used by both groups, such as restrooms and public phones, are marked in white.
Because Muslims make up about 70% of Malaysia’s population, airports include prayer rooms as public facilities. These are called surau. As you walk through Kuala Lumpur Airport, you will often encounter them. Typically located near restrooms, they are marked in a different color from restroom pictograms. Even at a glance, they clearly feel like surau.
Prayer rooms found throughout Kuala Lumpur Airport.
3. Singapore – Changi International Airport
Finally—my first destination—Singapore. What kinds of letters await us at Changi International Airport?
Singapore is a multicultural country where many ethnicities, cultures, and religions coexist. Its official languages are English, Malay, Mandarin Chinese, and Tamil. In the signage, English—the primary official language—appears most prominently, while Chinese, Malay, Tamil, and sometimes Japanese are arranged vertically to the side. The compact coexistence of multiple scripts feels like a visual embodiment of Singapore’s multiculturalism.
4. China – Shanghai Pudong International Airport
Next, let us move on to Shanghai Pudong International Airport in China. Mainland China uses Simplified Chinese characters (簡體字), which are forms created by simplifying traditional character structures. These differ from the Traditional Chinese characters (繁體字) used in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.
Here we see signage combining Chinese and English. Both the Simplified Chinese and English are set in sans-serif styles, with clean stroke endings and no terminals—what we commonly refer to as Gothic styles.
5. Taiwan – Taoyuan International Airport
Now let us visit Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan, where Traditional Chinese characters are used. Public signage typically employs sans-serif type across all languages, but in Taiwan’s airport, English is set in sans-serif while Chinese uses a Ming-style serif typeface. The reason is intriguing. If anyone knows why, I would welcome your insight.
Public Transportation Signage
Leaving the airport, let us turn to public transportation. Signage for buses and subways—used by people of all ages—must be concise and unambiguous. At the same time, these spaces are filled with various forms of advertising.
1. Singapore
Public facilities often rely on neutral sans-serif typefaces such as Univers or Helvetica. Singapore’s buses and subways, however, feel slightly different. Perhaps it is due to the softly angled cuts on vertical strokes, which create a gentle impression. In a country rich with greenery, these cut strokes even resemble leaves sprouting between letters.
Rochor Road bus stop.
A Barbie movie advertisement at a bus stop.
As in the airport, multilingual signage is common in the subway as well.
Botanic Gardens Station, labeled in four languages.
2. China
Let us visit a Shanghai subway station. Shanghai’s stations are enormous—often requiring ten minutes of walking to transfer—so large boarding signs appear throughout.
People’s Square Station Exit 19, a high-traffic area.
A bus stop in Suzhou. Stops near commercial districts or historic sites often feel traditional, while ordinary stops appear more minimal.
Shuangta Station, written in lishu (clerical script) dating back to the Qin dynasty.
Inside a Suzhou bus: a “no standing” zone where the spacing between S and T, and A and R, appears looser than in other letter pairs.
A Hangzhou bus stop promoting the Asian Games to be held this September.
3. Taiwan
As at Taoyuan Airport, Chinese is set in Ming-style type, while English uses a sans-serif with contrast between vertical and horizontal strokes. Even with the same characters, the impression differs markedly from signage in China.
Ximen Station Exit 1.
Zhongzheng Memorial Hall Station on the R Line—stations popular with tourists include Korean on the signage.
A bus stop displaying real-time arrival information via e-ink.
A Mission: Impossible 7 bus advertisement. The Taiwanese title is 不可能的任务 (“Impossible Mission”).
Street Lettering
Now let us step off the bus and look around the streets. Have you ever paused to observe letters themselves, rather than what they say? When you focus on form rather than content, familiar signs can suddenly feel new.
Multilingual signage in Singapore. Unlike typical signage where one language dominates and others appear smaller,
Singapore often presents all official languages at equal size.
A phone shop in Little India, Singapore: Tamil on the left, English on the right.
Chinatown signage in Singapore, with Chinese placed beneath English at the same scale.
Multilingual warning signs found throughout Singapore.
Left: Barbie poster in China. Right: Barbie bus ad in Taiwan. The design of the characters 芭比 differs.
A clothing store in Shanghai. The name Hot Wind is a direct translation of 热风 (“hot wind”).
A mung bean soup shop in Suzhou, with a sign shaped like a mung bean.
A shop sign in Taiwan reading 慢慢看 (“Take your time and look around”).
A structure in a Shanghai tourist area.
One of the great charms of traveling in the Chinese-speaking world is the frequent presence of brush-based calligraphic characters on shop signs and public facilities. Compared to Korean stations and signage, this strong affection for calligraphy feels striking. In Hangzhou, I had the chance to ask Zheng Chaoyang, a Chinese type designer and founder of MalikaType (Link), about this. He explained that Chinese people perceive brush-written characters as both orthodox and aesthetically refined, which is why they remain widely used. Each time I saw the bold, expansive strokes of Chinese characters, I could not help but agree. He added that calligraphic signage is more common in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau than in mainland China—a claim I found true during my time in Taiwan.
Station signs in China and Taiwan: from top—Shanghai Station, Hangzhou East Station, Suzhou Station, Taipei Main Station.
Signage in Singapore: only the Chinese is rendered in calligraphic style.
The sign for Shanghai’s landmark Oriental Pearl Tower (東方明珠), written in semi-cursive xingshu with simplified strokes.
Shopping mall signs in central Shanghai.
Street signage in Taipei.
An old oyster omelet stall at Ningxia Night Market in Taipei.
Sometimes, wandering unfamiliar streets leads to amusing warning signs rarely seen in Korea.
Singapore warning sign: “A moment of anger can lead to a lifetime of regret.”
Durian prohibition sign in the Singapore subway.
Taiwanese warning sign cautioning against falling coconuts.
Korean Text Abroad
Encountering Hangul among unfamiliar foreign languages feels like meeting a fellow Korean abroad—it is always heartwarming. Occasionally, awkward machine-translated Korean at tourist sites brings a quiet smile. Each time I see Hangul, I find myself wondering what image it conveys to foreigners and why a particular typeface was chosen. Before I know it, I am standing in front of the letters for quite some time.
Samsung Galaxy Flip advertisement in a Singapore shopping mall.
A North Korean-style restaurant in Shanghai.
The former Provisional Government site of the Republic of Korea in Shanghai.
Hangul signage at a Suzhou tourist site.
Ticket machines at Taiwan’s National Palace Museum—Chinese, English, Japanese, and… Korean.
(It says “Korean person,” not “Korean language.”)
Closing
Traveling abroad often leaves us feeling lost and frustrated when surrounded by languages we cannot read or understand. Instead of staring anxiously at Google Maps, lift your head and take a moment to observe the streets. Even without reading or understanding words, simply observing the shapes of letters can open up new worlds. Sometimes, unfamiliar scripts encountered on ordinary streets reveal more about a country than famous tourist attractions. Getting lost is fine—when you look back, it may become one of your fondest travel memories.
Insight
A Type Designer’s Overseas Travelogue
Beginning
As international travel routes reopen one by one in the post-pandemic era, more people seem to be heading abroad. When you think of overseas travel, what comes to mind first? Delicious food, famous landmarks, unusual buildings, and unfamiliar experiences. My cousin, who is a chef, can instantly list a country’s representative dishes at the mere mention of its name. In contrast, as a type designer, I have a peculiar occupational habit: the first thing I think about is the language and script used in that country. I believe language carries the soul of a nation, and that within scripts—and the typography that embodies them—you can sense a country’s history and culture.
This summer, I was fortunate to spend a month on a workation abroad. Through the eyes of a type designer, I would like to share with you the streets and letters of Singapore, China, and Taiwan that I encountered during that time.
Airports
The first place we arrive when traveling abroad is the airport. Let us begin by looking at airport signage. Airports are typographically fascinating spaces. Vast in scale and filled with people of different ages and nationalities moving in countless directions, they must rely on large, clear, and unambiguous instructions to prevent confusion. Highly legible type, well-considered layouts, and intuitive pictograms that transcend language—observing how letters perform their roles throughout an airport makes the long walk from the plane to immigration far less tedious.
Although there are slight variations, airport signage generally operates as a set composed of:
(1) the official language of the country,
(2) English as the international lingua franca,
(3) intuitive pictograms, and
(4) arrows.
Keeping this framework in mind, let us examine how different countries apply it.
Public Transportation Signage
Leaving the airport, let us turn to public transportation. Signage for buses and subways—used by people of all ages—must be concise and unambiguous. At the same time, these spaces are filled with various forms of advertising.
Street Lettering
Now let us step off the bus and look around the streets. Have you ever paused to observe letters themselves, rather than what they say? When you focus on form rather than content, familiar signs can suddenly feel new.
Singapore often presents all official languages at equal size.
Multilingual warning signs found throughout Singapore.
Left: Barbie poster in China. Right: Barbie bus ad in Taiwan. The design of the characters 芭比 differs.
A clothing store in Shanghai. The name Hot Wind is a direct translation of 热风 (“hot wind”).
A mung bean soup shop in Suzhou, with a sign shaped like a mung bean.
A shop sign in Taiwan reading 慢慢看 (“Take your time and look around”).
A structure in a Shanghai tourist area.
One of the great charms of traveling in the Chinese-speaking world is the frequent presence of brush-based calligraphic characters on shop signs and public facilities. Compared to Korean stations and signage, this strong affection for calligraphy feels striking. In Hangzhou, I had the chance to ask Zheng Chaoyang, a Chinese type designer and founder of MalikaType (Link), about this. He explained that Chinese people perceive brush-written characters as both orthodox and aesthetically refined, which is why they remain widely used. Each time I saw the bold, expansive strokes of Chinese characters, I could not help but agree. He added that calligraphic signage is more common in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau than in mainland China—a claim I found true during my time in Taiwan.
Station signs in China and Taiwan: from top—Shanghai Station, Hangzhou East Station, Suzhou Station, Taipei Main Station.
Shopping mall signs in central Shanghai.
Street signage in Taipei.
An old oyster omelet stall at Ningxia Night Market in Taipei.
Sometimes, wandering unfamiliar streets leads to amusing warning signs rarely seen in Korea.
Singapore warning sign: “A moment of anger can lead to a lifetime of regret.”
Korean Text Abroad
Encountering Hangul among unfamiliar foreign languages feels like meeting a fellow Korean abroad—it is always heartwarming. Occasionally, awkward machine-translated Korean at tourist sites brings a quiet smile. Each time I see Hangul, I find myself wondering what image it conveys to foreigners and why a particular typeface was chosen. Before I know it, I am standing in front of the letters for quite some time.
Samsung Galaxy Flip advertisement in a Singapore shopping mall.
Hangul signage at a Suzhou tourist site.
(It says “Korean person,” not “Korean language.”)
Closing
Traveling abroad often leaves us feeling lost and frustrated when surrounded by languages we cannot read or understand. Instead of staring anxiously at Google Maps, lift your head and take a moment to observe the streets. Even without reading or understanding words, simply observing the shapes of letters can open up new worlds. Sometimes, unfamiliar scripts encountered on ordinary streets reveal more about a country than famous tourist attractions. Getting lost is fine—when you look back, it may become one of your fondest travel memories.