Designing for the world

Glyphr

Overview

A tool for finding culturally relevant, cohesive fonts
across languages for multilingual design projects.

Solution

An AI-powered Figma plug-in that analyzes font
anatomy to recommend fonts across languages,
with optional mood-based filtering.

Problem

Designers struggle to select fonts that meet the
stylistic needs of multilingual projects, often
resulting in inconsistent designs.

Goal

Simplify font selection for cohesive, culturally
aware designs, with an intuitive Figma integration
and AI-driven font matching.

Tools

Figma, Illustrator, Photoshop

Scope

UX/UI Design and Research

Timeline

2 months

Research

Font Selection in Global Design

In the world of digital design, choosing the right typography is key. This case study dives into the challenge of picking fonts that work across different languages while keeping a unified, appealing look.

Why Fonts Matter in Multilingual Design

Multilingual design tailors digital experiences to varied linguistic audiences. Each language's unique characters, scripts, and styles make font choice crucial. Key considerations include:

Consistency and Coherence

Legibility and Readability

Communication

Cultural Relevance

Noto Sans

Helvetica World

Gill Sans Nova

Meet the Fonts of the Global Digital World

Recent font developments like Noto, Helvetica World, and Gill Sans Nova address the needs of a global digital audience with their multilingual support. Despite this, designers struggle to blend different fonts aesthetically due to limited options that support multiple languages effectively.

What Today's Font Pairing Tools Offer

Extensive Library

Native Plug-in

Multilingual Support

AI Adaptation

Mood Filter

Taskade

Monotype

Taskade

AI Adaptation

Multilingual Support

Mood Filter

Native Plug-in

Intuitive Interface

Multilingual Support

AI Adaptation

Mood Filter

Native Plug-in

Identifying the Target Audience

Students

Freelancers

Agencies

Maintaining Design Consistency

75%

Limited Font Availability

65%

Cultural Relevance

40%

Lack of Tools

60%

Slow Selection Process

35%

Others

15%

Designers say their biggest hurdles in multilingual font selection are keeping designs consistent, limited fonts, and a lack of tools—75% struggle most with maintaining consistency.

Here are the challenges we face:

Limited high-quality fonts for certain languages restrict creative possibilities.

Limited Options

Current tools provide minimal support for selecting multilingual fonts.

Inadequate Tools

Consistency across languages is difficult without culturally fitting fonts.

Multilingual Consistency
How can we streamline font selection for multilingual projects to help designers
easily create engaging and culturally relevant digital experiences?

The problem at hand is clear…

  1. How might we provide real-time design feedback for seasoned UX/complex multilingual interfaces?

  2. How might we provide real-time design feedbme design feedbme design feedback for seasoned UX/complex multilingual interfaces?


  3. How might we provide real-time design feedbme design feedbme design feedback for seasoned UX/complex multilingual interfaces?
Alex Mitchell 22

Student

California

Background

Alex, a web design student in his early twenties, struggles with selecting fonts for multilingual projects. Despite his busy academic schedule, he is eager to tackle real-world design challenges to gain practical experience.

Pain points

Consistency

Variety

Relavance

Time

Target Personas

Sarah Walker 35

UX Designer

Texas

Background

Sarah, an experienced UX/UI designer at a leading e-commerce company, specializes in global interfaces and multilingual projects. She collaborates closely with her team to create experiences that resonate with users around the world.

Pain points

Consistency

Variety

Relavance

Time

Built from research insights, These personas highlight the real challenges faced by the target users.

Design

From Concepts to Components

Task flow 1: Generate font list

Task flow 2: Download fonts

The design choice addresses users’ needs for ease, consistency, and efficiency. Task flows were crafted to simplify core actions, while wireframes focused on a clean, intuitive layout, creating a natural experience.

Input method

Select fonts

List generated

Font list

Font page

Collection

Task flow 3: Generate font list (plug-in)

Select frame

Language and fonts

Mood selection

Design

Structuring the Solution

Outlined taskflows and wireframes illustrate how the app guides users through key actions like inventory tracking, macro logging, and recipe discovery.

Connect to Content

Add layers or components to swipe between.

While the core taskflows stayed consistent, many visual and interaction details evolved through user feedback and iteration.

Connect to Content

Add layers or components to swipe between.

Designing With Feedback

Crafting a Familiar Feel

The moodboard sets the visual tone with a paper-like warmth, using soft whites for an organic feel. Accents of red-orange throughout the design channel the familiar lines of a notebook, creating a UI that feels both approachable and thoughtfully crafted.

Style and Components

Building on the warmth and familiarity of the mood board, the interface takes on a refined simplicity. Every button, icon, and slider is crafted for ease and clarity, guiding users seamlessly while balancing aesthetics with practicality.

ABCDEFGHIJLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
1234567890?!@#$%^&*()[]{}

28px

Regular
Aa
Medium
Aa
Bold
Aa
Manrope
Mikhail Sharanda

TYPEFACE

#F46C59
Hot Coral
#FBFBFB
Whiteout
#70D5E1
Aquamarine Blue
#424242
Black Panther
#202833
Freinacht Black

COLOR PALETTE

INTERACTIVES

DASHBOARD

Drop Shadow: Y 4px, X 0px

Blur: 20px

Opacity: 7%

WIREFRAMES

Result

Bringing It All Together

The final designs unify research insights and user needs into a cohesive, intuitive experience. This is the result of a user-centered approach, where each element serves a purpose in making multilingual design simpler and more effective.

View in PDF

Figma Prototype

Takeaways

Designing this project taught me the balance between creativity and function, especially in a straightforward space like font platforms. Crafting a unique, user-friendly interface without compromising usability was a challenge. Translating the full web tool into a streamlined plug-in pushed me to further simplify processes, focusing on essentials that enhance the user experience. Overall, this experience highlighted the power of clarity and purposeful design.

Next projects…

© 2025 Rick Takeda. All Rights Reserved.

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