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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After graduating from Konkuk University, she worked at Sandol Communication, a Korean type foundry, for five years, and as a researcher and team leader at AG Typography Research Center, she worked on several typeface projects, including “Sandoll LateSpring,” the Maru project “Maru Buri,” and the 87MM brand’s exclusive font “87MM ILSANG.” She has been conducting research and projects on screens and fonts since “AG Choijeongho Screen” and has been working on typeface design based on …
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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 Dae-suk
Graduated with a BFA from the College of Fine Arts at Hongik University, an MFA in Industrial Design from Seoul National University, and an MBA in Marketing from Yonsei University. Guided by the belief that “a successful designer must balance theory (文) and practice (武),” he is dedicated to professional design education while contributing to the field as a recommended designer and jury member for the Korea Industrial Design Exhibition. His primary interests include new product … -
Jan Tschichold
Jan Tschichold also known as Iwan Tschichold or Ivan Tschichold, was a German calligrapher, typographer and book designer. He played a significant role in the development of graphic design in the 20th century – first, by developing and promoting principles of typographic modernism, and subsequently idealizing conservative typographic structures. His direction of the visual identity of Penguin Books in the decade following World War II served as a model for the burgeoning design practice of … -
Joo ha-na
M.A., ATR-BC, Senior Researcher at the Public Design Research Center at Hongik University’s Graduate School and the founder of PSDI (Psychosocial Design Initiative) Research Lab. She focuses on researching and practicing socially prescriptive design for diversity, inclusion, and sustainability. Previously, she worked on museum projects for families with autism at the Autism Initiative team of the Queens Museum’s Art Access program. Later, at the National Museum of Modern and … -
Ahn Young-joo
Ahn Young-joo graduated from Hongik University, Department of Art, and received her doctorate from the same university with a thesis titled “Critical Discourse on Vernacular Design and Political Possibilities.” She has lectured on various design cultural theories such as design and material culture, design history, and craft theory at Hongik University and Konkuk University, and is currently an adjunct professor at Konkuk University’s Department of Industrial Design. Her publications include … -
Um So-young
Um So-young graduated from Korea University and is in charge of strategy formulation and service planning for data-driven decision-making at a domestic automobile company. She is currently working as a translator at Barun Translation. -
Hansil
Awakened to the disarray in the Korean language, he dedicated himself to reviving dying words, simplifying difficult Sino-Korean terms into accessible native expressions, and interpreting Korean words in Korean. He established “Maum-Dakkeuneun Maeul” (Mind-Polishing Village) at the foot of Surime (Mount Songni) in the Sabara region (Sangju) of Nosarasa (Gyeongbuk). There, he leads meditation practices to help anyone polish their mind, freeing themselves from suffering to live a … -
Soonbho Park
He graduated from the College of Fine Arts at Hongik University and earned a master’s degree from its graduate school. He obtained a Ph.D. in Fine Arts from Bergische Universität Wuppertal. He previously served as a professor at the College of Design at Hongik University and as the director of the Art and Engineering Research Center at the Korea-Germany Graduate School of Engineering. Currently, he is the senior vice president of the Korean Society of Basic Design & Art (KSBDA) and the … -
Kiura Mikio
Born and raised in Osaka. He has two master degrees in computer science at Nara Institute of Science and Technology and design at Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design. Currently, he runs his award-winning design studio ANKR DESIGN in Tokyo and designs new products and services with his clients. He thoroughly understands the Japanese manufacturing industry, as well as, the workflow of large companies and startups in Japan. He also has a profound knowledge of Japan’s unique culture and … -
Kim Jee-hyun
She studied graphic design at Seoul National University’s Department of Applied Arts and Graduate School of Design, and received his master’s degree in typography from Eastern Michigan University, USA. She has been teaching design at Hansung University since 1991. She was a research professor at Syracuse University in the United States and the third president of the Korean Typography Society. She is currently serving as the chairman of the Future Planning Committee and editorial … -
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 …