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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Lee Su-yeong graduated from the Department of Korean Language and Literature at Yonsei University and the Graduate School of Comparative Literature at the same school. She has worked as an editor, journalist, and exhibition organizer, and began translating humanities books such as Bandit: A History of Healing . She has translated the novels Even the Dogs , Wildlife , and I Am Number Four , the memoir My Korean Delhi , and the travelogue Your Siberia . When she wants to indulge her eyes and …
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Choi Ji-won
A senior researcher at AG Typography Institute , the designer previously worked at Yoon Design and T-Lab before joining AG Typography Institute, where they led projects such as Jeju Air’s corporate typeface “Flight Sans” and “AG Choi Jeongho Sun Myeongjo.” As an independent type designer , they released “Damjae,” a typeface designed for vertical writing, and collaborated with designer Lee Yongje on the typefaces “Nouvelle” and “Jonjae.” -
Seo Ji-su
She majored in ancient art history at university. After graduating from the Glbab Academy, she worked in various Japanese translation jobs and is currently working as a professional Japanese translator at Bareun Translation. -
Ryu Biho
Since his first solo exhibition Steel Sun in 2000, she has been working with contemporary artists, exhibition curators, and media sociologists to co-organize and research new artistic activities in a media-connected society, such as Art Practice through Hacking (2001) and Parasite-Tactical Media Networks (2004-2006). While organizing and executing these activities, he has also executed various projects such as Dramatic Practice (2010), Co-operative Escape (2010), Twinfix (2011), In My Sky at … -
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 … -
강예린·이치훈
강예린과 이치훈은 건축가이며, 2011년부터 SoA(Society of Architecture)를 이끌고 있다. 강예린은 2019년부터 서울대학교 건축학과 교수로 재직하며 학생들을 가르치고 있다. 두 사람은 사회·문화적 조건 속에서 변화하는 도시 및 건축의 맥락을 이해하는 것을 작업의 토대로 삼는다. SoA는 통의동 ‘브릭웰’로 한국건축역사학회 작품상(2023)과 서울특별시 건축상 최우수상(2020) 등을 수상했다. 국립현대미술관 젊은건축가프로그램의 우승작인 ‘지붕감각’(2015)으로 영국의 권위 있는 건축 전문지 『아키텍처럴 리뷰』가 주관하는 이머징 아키텍트 어워드(Emerging Architect Award, 2016)의 최종 후보로 선정되었다. 김수근프리뷰상(2016), 젊은건축가상(2015) 등을 받았으며 〈베니스비엔날레 국제건축전〉(2023)을 비롯한 국내외 주요 전시에 작가 또는 큐레이터로 참여했다. 건축적 사유를 확장하는 중요한 수단으로 글쓰기와 출판을 지속해 왔다. … -
Studio 3
Studio 3 is an in-school design agency at the Graphic Design Department of Westerdals School of Communication in Oslo (Norway). Studio 3 was established in 2002 and exists of a handpicked selection of 15 truly dedicated 3rd year’s graphic design students. -
Lee Hwan
Collaborates with colleagues from diverse technocultural backgrounds to design product and service experiences within architectural spaces. With prior experience at Ahn Graphics and Atelier Brückner in Stuttgart, she is currently working at VAVE Studio in Frankfurt. She graduated from the Department of Visual Communication Design at Hongik University and completed a graduate degree in Interior Architecture at the same institution. -
Choi Sung-min
Choi Sulki and Choi Sung-min are graphic designers working around Seoul, South Korea. They met at Yale University where they both earned their MFA degrees. After working as researchers at the Jan van Eyck Academie in Maastricht, they returned to Korea in 2005 to start their own practice. Since then, they have created graphic identities, promotional materials, publications and websites for many cultural institutions and individuals. From 2010 until 2013, they worked as graphic designers of the … -
Kim Hyun-ho
Editorial director of VOSTOK magazine and head of VOSTOK PRESS. He is the editor of various publications and the director of PLATFORM-P. He has worked as the chief editor of the design journal Yanggwibi , editor-in-chief of the Seoul National University Press and Culture Center, and a member of the planning committee of the School of Photographic Theory and the bimonthly magazine Wordnbow , and received the Art in Culture New Vision Art Criticism Award. -
Arumjigi
The Arumjigi Foundation is a non-profit organization established in November 2001, dedicated to creatively preserving and passing down Korea’s traditional culture. Its mission is to rediscover the identity of Korean culture and cultivate new cultural heritage for future generations. Through efforts to care for Korea’s traditional cultural heritage and its surrounding environments, Arumjigi seeks to ensure that the values of tradition remain alive in modern life across clothing, … -
Jang Ji-seong
Graduated from the Department of Oriental Painting at Seoul National University and pursued further studies in Oriental Painting at the Graduate School of Hongik University and Art History at the Graduate School of Humanities at Dongguk University. Currently, he teaches in the Department of Art Education at Jeonju National University of Education and serves as a guest research fellow at the Kansong Art Museum. He has contributed to the 2009 and 2015 revised national curricula for elementary and …