MiSans Khmer
Disciplines
Type Design
Type Engineering
Xiaomi is one of the world's leading consumer electronics manufacturers, while primarily known for its smartphones, Xiaomi also produces a variety of smart quality-of-life products that can currently be found in more than 100 countries and regions around the world. In recent years the company has grown in popularity in Cambodia, by offering well-designed products at more affordable prices, Xiaomi has made innovative technology more accessible to everyone.
MiSans is the new system typeface of Xiaomi, designed for comfortable multi-language typesetting and strong readability, the typeface embraces modernity making it very versatile in different design requirements and scenarios.
We were tasked with adapting MiSans into Khmer, our objective was to faithfully translate the modern features of the typeface without compromising on the essence of Khmer letterforms.
Rather than adopting a loopless design direction, which is often an easy solution when modernizing Khmer letterforms, we decided to go with a looped design instead which has the benefit of making the typeface more accessible to a wider range of local Khmer readers. The counter space of the loops takes direct design cues from the bowl of the Latin's lowercase 'A'. The Khmer also shares the same diagonal terminals as the Latin. Using a combination of geometric-based curves, and selective hard edges gives the typeface a harmonious blend of straightness and cursiveness.
The typeface also features shorter above and below marks, making it more versatile for UI environments. Furthermore, some characters have been optically adjusted to help with legibility at small sizes. MiSans Khmer comes in 10 weights and also supports variable fonts, can be adjusted infinitely in the OS, and is specially optimized for dark mode.
Work with us
info@anagata.design
+855 (0) 92 717 167
Address
Factory Phnom Penh, B2 #03
#1159 NR2, Khan Mean Chey
Phnom Penh, Cambodia