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
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Roel Klaassen is Programme Manager at Premsela, Dutch Platform for Design and Fashion. Roel is a design enthusiast with an academic background in design, psychology and strategic management. At present he’s working on the People’s Republic of Design programme, a Premsela initiative that aims to stimulate the development of an open design culture.
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Shin Myung-ho
Researches the history of visual expression and representational theory, with a focus on picture books, and teaches Studies of Culture and Representation at Musashino Art University in Japan. Engages in various activities such as exhibition planning and translation, striving to raise awareness of the role and impact of picture books in society. -
Byunggeol Min
He is a graphic designer. After graduating from the Department of Visual Communication Design at Hongik University, he worked as a designer at Angraphics. He then went on to study “typography using mathematical algorithms” in the graduate program of Visual Communication Design at Musashino Art University. Upon returning to Seoul, he served as a design director at Noon Design and took part in Jindallae’s collective activities, undertaking numerous projects that derive various forms from fixed … -
Tak Hyeon-gyu
Graduated from the Department of History at Sogang University and earned a Ph.D. in Art History from the Graduate School of Korean Studies at the Academy of Korean Studies. Authored books include: Saimdang’s Garden , Conversations on Paintings , Reflections on Korean Paintings , A Study of the Triad Buddhist Paintings in the Joseon Dynasty . Currently serves as a researcher at the Kansong Art Museum and lectures at institutions including Seoul National University of Education, Gyeongin … -
Kuma Kengo
Born in Yokohama in 1954, he studied architecture at the University of Tokyo and was a visiting scholar at Columbia University’s Department of Architecture and Urban Planning in the United States. He is currently a principal of Kengo Kuma and Associates and a special professor and professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo. His major works include Kiro-San observatory (1994), Water/Glass, Atami, Noh Stage in the Forest /Moributai Traditional Performing Arts Museum, Bato Hiroshige … -
Kwon Min-ho
Drawer, illustrator. He studied visual communication at Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art (RCA) postgraduate program. His work is based on drawing and new media, blurring the boundaries between illustration and fine art painting. He has worked with Factum-Arte, Bompas & Parr, Jotta studio, and RA in London, and has won awards such as the Jerwood Drawing Prize, V&A Illustration Awards, and RCA Sustain, a London design festival. He has presented and curated exhibitions … -
Amorepacific
Amorepacific Corporation is a South Korean beauty and cosmetics chaebol, operating more than 30 beauty, personal care, and health brands. The firm was founded in 1945 by Sungwhan Suh and currently managed by Kyungbae Suh, the son of the founder. It is the largest cosmetics company in South Korea and one of the 10 largest cosmetics companies in the world. -
Peter Troxler
An independent researcher and concept developer, he focuses on the overall composition and design of the social, technological, and commercial dimensions of businesses. His work pays particular attention to companies as permanent organizations and projects as temporary organizational structures. -
Takaoka Masao
Born in Tokyo in 1957, Mr. Takaoka is the President of Kazui Kobo, a limited company. After graduating from Kokugakuin University’s Law Department, he joined his father, Takaoka Juzo’s company, Kazui Kobo, and has been in his current position since 1995.He learned Latin alphabet typesetting and typography from his father. From 1999-2001, he served as an advisor to printing museums and workshops and gave lectures and talks on Latin alphabet typesetting, typography, and corporate … -
Kim Min-jung
She has worked as an editor for various magazines from Casa Living to the monthly Design . She loves the eclecticism of magazines, is interested in how to translate design into language, and specializes in planning and creating content. She is currently the editor-in-chief of C , a magazine published by GrandeClip. -
Lee Jeong-eun
Lee Jeong-eun received her master’s degree from the Graduate School of Architecture at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She worked at RTKL, MAD, and Callison, where she participated in many large-scale mixed-use projects in China. He is currently a designer at the architectural firm AUD. -
Suwa
Suwa is a renowned live art illustrator based in Seoul. She became captivated by fashion’s ability to reflect diverse individuality and identity during her trips to Fashion Weeks around the world, leading her to start drawing people who caught her eye on the streets. Suwa studied fashion design at Parsons School of Design in New York and worked as a designer for several fashion brands including Michael Kors and Tommy Hilfiger. She later transitioned to illustration, collaborating on editorial …