Ikko Tanaka was a Japanese graphic designer. Tanaka is widely recognized for his prolific body of interdisciplinary work, which includes graphic identity and visual matter for brands and corporations including Seibu Department Stores, Mazda, Issey Miyake, Hanae Mori, and Expo 85. He is credited with developing the foundational graphic identity for lifestyle brand Muji, emphasizing the “no brand” quality of their products through unadorned, charming line drawings paired with straightforward slogans. His use of bold, polychromatic geometries and his harnessing of the dynamic visual potential of typography are undergirded by a sensitivity towards traditional Japanese aesthetics. Though keenly sensitive to historical precedents and established conventions, Tanaka nevertheless maintained a degree of playfulness in his work, manipulating color, scale, and form to reconfigure familiar iconographies into fresh and accessible visual representations. Tanaka is also widely recognized for his posters designs for Noh productions and other performances and exhibitions staged in Japan and beyond. He was active in realms of typography, exhibition design, and book design as well, and his publication Japan Style was released in 1980 alongside the Victoria and Albert Museum exhibition of the same name. As a leading figure in postwar Japanese design, Tanaka is also credited with playing a role in the professionalization and expansion of the discipline.
Authors
Tanaka Ikko
田中一光
다른 사람들
-
She graduated from the Department of German Language and Literature at Hanyang University and has worked as a foreign rights agent for English- and German-language books at Imprima Korea Agency (IKA), introducing international books to the Korean market. Her translated works include What the Lion Says , A Week with the White Handkerchief , and Rosalie and the Mystery of Milk , among others.
-
Cho Sung-hyeon
A partner at BOUNDLESS(경계없는작업실) and the CEO of Spacewalk. After graduating from the Department of Architecture at Seoul National University, he gained practical experience at iArc before co-founding BOUNDLESS. Currently, he oversees business development for the team and focuses on solving architectural and urban issues through Spacewalk, an independent startup spun off from BOUNDLESS’s in-house technology team, BOUNDLESS-X, which collaborates with various experts and technologies. He has … -
Choi Ho-chun
Completed doctoral coursework in Visual Design at the College of Fine Arts and the Graduate School of Hongik University. Recipient of awards such as the Korea Institute of Design Promotion (KIDP) President’s Award and the Prime Minister’s Award at the Korea Industrial Design Exhibition. Served as an inaugural designer for KIDP and as the Chair of the Visual Designers Division at the Korean Association of Industrial Artists. Authored books including Visual Communication Design and High School … -
Kim Min-young
Typography consultant. He majored in visual design at Hongik University and received his master’s degree from Musashino Art University in Japan, where he proposed a new direction for CJK-Latin multilingual blending based on the history of multilingual typography and a study of modern and contemporary blending samples in his master’s thesis. After working at Japanese type foundries Morisawa and Fontworks, he founded the typography studio Em Dash in Tokyo, Japan. Based on his diverse … -
Sung Sang-woo
Graduated from Waseda University, Department of Architecture. After working at several design offices, he founded a0100z space design with his life partner in 2009. Currently, he is building a series of houses called ‘House with a Worn Threshold’ and ‘Together’, and runs Jeongchu Seodang in Yongsu Village, Yongin, where he talks about humanities and gives a lecture on humanities architecture called ‘House is Meaning’. -
Doi Akifumi
Born in Hiroshima in 1957. Owner of Tom’s Box. Handles picture books and books related to picture books. He has been involved in the planning and editing of over 300 picture books to date, including the Forest of Images series (Holp Shuppan) and Neko no Sweater (Oikawa Kenji, Takeuchi Mayuko). He also organizes the workshop Atosaki Juku with Akira Ono, which aims to nurture picture book authors. -
Fukuda Shigeo
Graduated from the Department of Design at Tokyo University of the Arts, she worked at Ajinomoto Co., Inc. and Deska Co. before embarking on a freelance career. She carved out a unique space in the design world with works that fuse simplified forms and trick art, embodying a playful and cynical spirit. Her accolades include the Gold Prize at the Warsaw International Poster Biennale, the Grand Prix at the Poland 30th Anniversary of Victory International Poster Competition, the Newcomer Award … -
Kim Sun-hee
She graduated from Hongik University, College of Fine Arts, Department of Industrial Design and received his MFA from Pratt Institute Graduate School of Industrial Design. Since 1995, she has been a keynote professor at Samsung Art and Design Institute (SADI), and since 1999, she has been a research professor at Parsons School of Design and Pratt Institute’s Department of Industrial Design in New York City. Currently, she teaches three-dimensional sculpture at Parsons School of … -
Kim Jin-woo
Professor at Konkuk University College of Design in Chungju, South Korea. Since 2004, he has been meeting with students in the ‘Interior Design Studio’ and ‘Furniture Design’ courses. He received his PhD from Hongik University College of Fine Arts and has published numerous papers and works related to furniture design. While thinking about how to connect the expertise he has accumulated with the life of this era, he challenged himself to write a book that is read by the … -
Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism
Established in 2017, the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism explores the diverse challenges arising from rapid urban growth through the lens of architecture and urbanism. With a focus on Seoul and other global cities, the Biennale seeks to address pressing urban issues and propose innovative solutions. The Biennale features Thematic Exhibitions centered on a specific theme, Guest Cities Exhibition showcasing pioneering public projects from around the globe, and On-site Projects that … -
Lee Soon-jong
Lee Soon-jong graduated from Seoul National University College of Fine Arts and the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) Graduate School of Design. He has served as a professor at Kookmin University’s Department of Industrial Design and Seoul National University’s Department of Design. He also founded the International Association of Societies for Design Research (IASDR), served as president of the Korean Design Association, and was the first design director of the Gwangju Design … -
Seung H-Sang
Seung H-Sang graduated from Seoul National University and studied at Technische Universitaet in Wien. Worked for Kim Swoo-Geun from 1974 to 1989 and established his office “IROJE architects & planners” in 1989. He was a core member of “4.3 Group” which strongly influenced Korean architectural society, and participated in founding “Seoul School of Architecture” for a new educational system. His works are based on his own critical concerns on Western culture of the 20th century whose subject …