畢業於東京武藏野美術大學，小林章於1983年加入寫研公司，一家照相排字機製造商，擔任字體設計師並開展其專業生涯。1989年他離開寫研公司併到倫敦研習西洋書法和文字排印，並在1990回歸日本時加入字遊工房公司，參與冬青明朝體（Hiragino Mincho）和冬青黑體（Hiragino Gothic）的設計和數碼化工作。從1993年到1997年間他為TypeBank公司工作，為旗下的日語數碼字型設計西文字型搭配。1997年到2001他當上自由業字體設計師，期間他的原創字型得到好幾項國際字體比賽殊榮。當2000年完成為Type Project旗下Axis日語字型的西文字搭配後，他在2001年移居到德國，並履任現在於Monotype（前Linotype）的職務。作為字體總監他負責監控內部字型設計的美感素質，並分別跟兩位殿堂級設計師：Adrian Frutiger 和 Hermann Zapf 合作，替他們早期的字型設計進行現代化工作，為經典字型製作全新的數碼詮釋版本，在設計他自己的字型以外也為替企業製作客制字型。他也是歐洲、美國和亞洲各類型國際字體研討會的常客，並擔任多個著名國際字體設計大賽的評審委員。
曾獲著名獎項：
U&lc 字體設計大賽：全場大獎和項目最佳作品：Clifford（1998）
Linotype 字庫第三屆國際數碼字型設計大賽，內文字設計組第一名：Conrad（2000）
紐約字體指導具樂部字體設計大賽：ITC Woodland（1998），ITC Japanese Garden 和 ITC Silvermoon（1999），FF Clifford（2000），Linotype Conrad（2001），和 Palatino Sans（Hermann Zapf一起得獎，2007）
Studied at Musashino Art University in Tokyo, he began his career as a type designer at Sha-Ken Co., Ltd., a phototypesetter manufacturer, in 1983. In 1989 he left Sha-Ken to study calligraphy and typography in London. On his return to Japan in 1990, he entered Jiyu-Kobo, Ltd. and was involved in designing and digitizing the Japanese fonts Hiragino Mincho and Hiragino Gothic. From 1993 to 1997 he worked for TypeBank Co., Ltd., where he designed Latin alphabets to accompany the foundry’s digital Japanese fonts. From 1997 to 2001 he was a freelance type designer and during this period won numerous international awards for his original typefaces. After completing the design of Latin alphabets to accompany Type Project’s Axis Japanese fonts in 2000, he moved to Germany in 2001 to assume his current position at Monotype, formerly Linotype. As type director he controls the aesthetic quality of in-house typefaces, and has collaborated with the two prominent designers Adrian Frutiger and Hermann Zapf to modernize their earlier type designs, creating digital interpretations of classic typeface families for renovation, and designing corporate custom typefaces, besides making his own types. He is a frequent speaker at international type conferences and workshops in Europe, Americas and Asia, and serves as a jury member in prestigious international typeface design competitions.
Major awards:
U&lc Type Design Competition, Best of Category and Best of Show: Clifford (1998)
Linotype Library’s 3rd International Digital Type Design Contest, 1st Prize in the Text Category: Conrad (2000)
Type Directors Club Type Design Competitions: ITC Woodland (1998), ITC Japanese Garden and ITC Silvermoon (1999), FF Clifford (2000), Linotype Conrad (2001), and Palatino Sans (with Hermann Zapf, 2007)
Monotype（蒙納）公司將九月三日於上海、九月五日於北京、九月八日於西安及九月十日於深圳，巡迴舉辦「Type Pro」國際字體研討會活動，屆時著名的 Monotype GmbH 字體總監、《西文字體1,2》作者小林章先生（Akira Kobayashi）、Monotype 香港總設計師許大鵬先生（Robin Hui）和 Monotype 英國字體設計師大曲都市先生（Toshi Omagari）將會分享歐文、漢字和國內少數民族語言字體，背後的設計理念、構思、實作經驗及字體設計師生活內的各種挑戰。
活動免費進場，歡迎大家加入蒙納字庫公眾號跟蹤活動的資訊！
Monotype 為全球性大型字體公司，旗下產品包括 Helvetica®、Times New Roman®、Gill Sans®、Frutiger® 等經典歐文字型，也擁有中文字庫如蒙納宋體™、蒙納黑體™、蒙納盈黑體™和蒙納剛黑體™；並經營著名字型銷售網站：fonts.com、myfonts.com 和 fontshop.com，是全球大型的字體公司。
Monotype is the largest type company in world, it’s famous designs include Helvetica®, Times New Roman®, Gill Sans®, Frutiger® among many others. Monotype also owns the classic Monotype Hong Kong Chinese Library, which includes: M Sung™, M Hei™, M Ying Hei™, M Stiff Hei™ families. Monotype’s online shops include fonts.com, myfonts.com, fontshop.com…
註：小林章先生（Akira Kobayashi）將擔任Hiii Typography 2016，暨第四屆中英文字體設計大賽評委。詳情請點擊：
第四屆Hiii Typography中英文字體設計大賽重磅來襲！
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