Master Takase's Custom Design Process

Here is a complete design session showing how custom calligraphy goes from first idea to finished art.

Fighting Spirit — A Design Session

Several years ago a visitor to our website saw a design for Fighting Spirit which in Japanese is 闘魂 and is read toukon.

Fighting Spirit 闘魂 toukon

Jim: "I am very interested in your Fighting Spirit — Toukon character and was wondering if you had any different versions of the character."

Eri: "Thank you for your kind inquiry. I would be delighted to work with you on a custom design for Fighting Spirit and can offer samples in a variety of fonts and would work with you to create a custom design that is just for you."

Jim placed the order and in the first email, we had completed the first step having decided on the Japanese translation to use. The next step was to get a feel for the type of font that most appealed to Jim. So the first sample set featured a variety of fonts.

Eri: "Hi, I have attached my initial thoughts for the design. The original font you saw was a block font so here I am focusing on the other fonts. Sample (1) is a semi-cursive font. Sample (2) is a mixed font. Samples (3) and (4) are original cursive designs and sample (5) is a cursive font. Please let me know your thoughts and I look forward to your reply."

Jim: "My two favorites are no's 5 and 2. Are there any other variations on the two fonts as it's very difficult to decide between them at the moment and is it possible to make the design 'flow' together a bit more rather than having two separate parts?"

Based on his feedback, Master Takase created a follow-up sample set.

Jim: "I really like the bottom character of no's 8 and the top 11."

The design was close, so Master Takase sent a design that balanced and combined the two.

Eri: "I have attached my idea for the final design. Please let me know your thoughts and also, please let me know what size you would like for the final design? You have ordered a design up to 5 inches."

Jim: "This is just right. I want the final to be 4 inches. Thank you, Eri."

Note: Jim selected a different design, but as it was an original unique design created just for him, we show an alternate design here so you can see the quality of the final art.

What to Make?

The first step is deciding what the design will say. Sometimes this is a quote and sometimes it is just an idea. It also helps if you have an idea of the size — is it going to be a small design on your neck or a large design on your back, for example.

The first sample set explores fonts and layout possibilities. If you already have a preference for block or cursive, the samples will focus there. Otherwise Master Takase will show the full range so you can discover what appeals to you.

The translation is part of this first step too. There are always several ways to do a translation and the size of the final work will often determine the number of characters that can be used. At this initial stage, we can look at the complexity of the characters as well as the number of characters required for a translation.

Refining the Design

By the second set of samples, we should have a font preference, a layout, and a translation. From here, Master Takase refines — combining elements you liked, adjusting balance, exploring new variations.

The style of the characters matters here too. While most will choose Gyousho (Semi-cursive) or Kaisho (Block) for reasons of style and legibility, even between these two styles there are many options. The five major font styles are described in the Glossary of Terms.

We keep doing variations where you can choose which designs you like and we continue in this fashion until the design is exactly what you want.

Finalizing the Art

The final step is to create the art at your specified size. Whether the design is for a tattoo, a commercial project, or a personal commission, the finished calligraphy is always as close as possible to the approved sample.

Browse our ready-made calligraphy designs for instant download, or search for your name in Japanese.