Traditional character fans, you’re vocal and heartfelt, so here’s why I used simplified characters for the mods:
1) The theme of the set is inspired by Beijing, where traditional characters are not used.
2) From my own part as the designer, it also feels very inauthentic for me to use characters I never learned to read or write, for an audience I never lived among.
3) Admittedly, the use of Cangjie legends is largely decorative. I don’t expect many Chinese users, even in places where Cangjie is taught, to use this design to type in Cangjie, although, all the better if someone does. If I had chosen to make this set solely practical, I would have also included Zhuyin and Dayi schemes. Some sets have this, I decided to choose Cangjie only for aesthetic reasons.
4) It’s also true that every character in the Cangjie legends set except one, 難, is the same in both simplified and traditional. I understand many people may feel that Cangjie does not “match” simplified characters, but for practical purposes, we are talking about one single key.
I understand that there are strong feelings about simplified vs. traditional characters that I, as an outsider, will never truly appreciate. But there are deeply personal reasons I chose to use simplified characters in the mods, and still wanted to include a legend scheme that honored the beauty of the written Chinese language through the use of full Chinese character legends.
It’s not a perfect solution to please everyone, but in the end, the design is based on my own impressions of a place I have lived in, worked in, and loved, and I can’t replace that impression with someone else’s, though I understand that your opinion is heartfelt. 😊
