Gurafiku has an extensive archive of Japanese graphic design from the 1800s to today. In particular, the vibrant work of the 60s by greats like Yusaku Kamekura and Ikko Tanaka caught my eye.
Check out the rest of the set here, or see the previous post on “Graphic Design” magazine for more of their work.
Not a whole lot of info on this one as the page is in Japanese, but Wakui Works has some nice shots from 1960’s Japan featuring Eames / Herman Miller furniture in it’s natural habitat. Whenever I see shots like these I imagine the lucky people who found all this discarded in an alley somewhere around 1994.
I came across Michael Kenna’s work through a recent dive into the “Photography Inspiration” folder on my hard drive. I don’t know how I missed them the first time, but I was immediately drawn to his series from Japan, and was even more amazed when I visited his website and saw the rest of his shots. Really inspiring images.
Check out the rest of his work here.
This is the work of OK-RM, a London based design studio. The style reminds me a lot of Sulki and Min and maybe a little bit of Qubik. I enjoy this style; where type is placed all over the page, in a seemingly gridless manner, while still maintaining a sense of balance and proper hierarchy. To me it shows a kind of fearlessness, and a clear love of letterform.
Beautiful work from Ryohei Kojima, a Japanese designer operating in the 1970’s.
Via Grain Edit additional images via 50 Watts
Beautiful covers from the Japanese design magazine “Graphic Design”. Designed by Ryuichi Yamashiro, Hiromu Hara, Yoshio Hayakawa, Yusaku Kamekura, and Ikko Tanaka – 1959-1961.
From the Display Collection
Duel(ing) Passports
Since my last update I have been out mining for cool things. No more tourist attractions (besides the Ramen Museum in Yokohama. My Mom already made fun of me for visiting a noodle museum, so don’t start). I am happy to say that I have been successful in my searchings for all things weird and wonderful. Most of my time has been spent in Aoyama, Harajuku and Naka Meguro (with some Daikanyama too). It’s been hard to decide what to focus on; clothes, housewares, interiors, music, games, food…I could easily spend all of each day bouncing between all the different shops in those areas. One place I literally had to leave because I was afraid I might buy too many things (Sempre). I also found a hair salon that was having a yard sale. Their three items for sale were a replica M16, faded porn, and a Twitter sign. Awesome.
Right now I’m packing for my trip to Japan tomorrow. I will be in Tokyo for 10 days, exploring and adventuring around with a photographer friend. It will be my second time visiting Tokyo (I went by myself for two weeks in 2008). Since I’ve been before, my to-do list this time is quite different from the last; I plowed through about three guidebooks worth of tourist attractions last time. With this trip, I am going to try and stay off the beaten path and explore parts of Tokyo I either missed or hadn’t heard about yet.
I’ll also be focusing a lot more on my photography. I was shooting from the hip with my D40 two years ago (gallery) — this time I’ll take a little more care and consideration with my shots. I’ll be carting the MKII with me everywhere and will be posting periodic pictures and travel updates. My Twitter should also be fairly active with Tokyo related musings.
I’ll definitely be on the lookout for all sorts of design related artifcats and thingamabobs. If anyone has any Tokyo recommendations along these lines, I am all ears.
Related: Scott’s trip from 2008