从铅活字到数字化字库时代，汉字字体设计方式在技术层面有了很大的改进，这使其在设计制作的效率上有了大大提升，但是，在设计方法方面却进步迟缓。单纯依赖技术的改进或借鉴西方现代设计的经验，并不足以解决汉字字体设计的根本问题，汉字字体设计方法研究的方向，还要从汉字字体形成的内在机制和规律中找寻。汉字字形演化的历史源远流长，在各时期，字体造形总是与其书写紧密相关，汉字的书写规律已经内化为汉字造形审美的本质。现今，汉字字体设计样式虽然日益繁多，但能够体现汉字独有气韵的字体却并不多见。可以说，书写是字体设计的基础，中外皆然。不论是基于传统书法类别的字体，还是工业化风格的字体，只有融入或延展传统的书写性，才能具备汉字的审美特性和气派。因此，基于传统书写的汉字字体设计方法研究具有较大的理论和实践意义。本文通过论证字形二维化和字形基本构形元素“线化”存在的必然性，继而梳理出“线化”构形的汉字演进脉络，提出了“以线为本”的汉字造形观和“以线造形”的设计方法论。通过对汉字的传统书写造形以及现代几何化造形规律的综合观察，基于解析多变的书写线形，阐明了更加符合汉字造形内在规律的字体设计方法。其中，重点以四种基本“线型”为单元实现了对线形的解析，并以线形视角分析了“笔法——笔形”的对应关系，形成了“以线造形”的汉字字体设计方法。尽管，广义上的汉字字体设计概念也与“美术字”“标志字体”等多类型实用字体相关，但本文仍以用字量最大，使用面最广的汉字排版字体为主要研究对象。
In the transition from lead movable type to the digital font era, significant technological advancements have greatly improved the efficiency of Chinese typeface design at a technical level. However, progress in design methodologies has been comparatively slow. Merely relying on technological advancements or borrowing from western modern design experiences is insufficient to address the fundamental issues inherent in Chinese typeface design. The research direction for Chinese typeface design methods needs to be sought within the intrinsic mechanisms and rules governing Chinese character formation.Chinese character forms have a rich and profound evolutionary history, always closely intertwined with their writing practices throughout different periods. The rules governing the writing of Chinese characters have become internalized as the essence of aesthetic appreciation for their forms.Despite the increasing diversity of Chinese typeface design styles, fonts that truly embody the unique charm of Chinese characters are relatively scarce. It can be argued that writing serves as the foundation of typeface design, both in Chinese and foreign languages.Whether based on traditional calligraphic categories or industrial styles, only by integrating or extending the traditional essence of writing can Chinese fonts possess the aesthetic qualities and elegance of Chinese characters. Therefore, there is great theoretical and practical significance in conducting research on Chinese typeface design methods based on traditional writing.This thesis demonstrates the necessity of two-dimensional representation of character forms and the "linearization" of basic structural elements, and subsequently trace the evolution of "linearized" structures in Chinese characters. It proposes a perspective of character forms that is "line-oriented" and establishes a design methodology that revolves around the concept of "formulation through lines." By analyzing traditional calligraphic forms of Chinese characters and the geometric principles governing modern forms, and by delving into variable writing strokes, this research elucidates typeface design methods that align more closely with the inherent rules of Chinese character forms.Specifically, this study focuses on the analysis of four basic "line types" as units and explores the corresponding relationship between "brushwork" and "stroke shape" from a linear perspective, forming a Chinese typeface design methodology based on “line-shaping”. While the broader concept of Chinese typeface design may encompass various practical font types such as "artistic fonts" or "logo fonts," this thesis primarily concentrates on the Chinese typeface for typesetting, considering its widespread application.
