I looked more into Japanese graphic design to learn any principles to bear in mind when designing the book but also to gather inspiration. I also managed to combine my research interests with Japanese design, as I looked into the role of the designer in the post war years. It was interesting to find out how Japanese designers retained national traditions while incorporating new ideas from the west. As a result today, Japanese graphic design is shaped from the post war years as designers mix old and new to create contradictory work which has a distinct Japanese look to it. I myself am massively influenced by Japanese graphic design, with bright colours and custom typography influencing my practice. Therefore, I approached this part of research to learn more about famous graphic designers from Japan, characteristics of Japanese design and to just analyse work I admire.
The main characteristics of Japanese design I found were:
- Bright colors
- Mixed languages
- Custom typography
- Brush strokes
- Gradients
- Circles
- Symbols
- Kawai
- Information dense design
- Collage and layering
Japanese design seems to test the limits of meaning and reality as pieces of work often seem to have very little structure. Instead they are free with flow, examples of work I found can show this (seen below)
A project I've admired for some time related nicely for this research as it highlights a major visual of Japans, which is signage. Japanese signage is in a class all its own, as its a mix of abstract shapes, typography, and colour palettes. This project is a snapshot of most of the things the designer come across while visiting Tokyo and it reduces objects and visuals to their purest most recognisable shapes, colors and Japanese text.
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