Tokyo graphics

Graphic design is a visual communication tool, and it is more complex than most people realise. As a graphic design student at uni, I was profoundly influenced by Japanese graphic design. Now that my main focus is on product designs, I still can’t help noticing and forming judgements on graphics seen in the streets, museums and shops etc.

The Japanese have always excelled in graphic design, and one doesn’t need to go to design exhibitions to appreciate their ability to convey messages through visual means. Walking in the streets of Tokyo, one can hardly miss the impressive and highly impactful designs everywhere. Here are some that I captured while I was in Tokyo:

 

Poster graphics

 

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“Rene Magritte” exhibition posters at The National center of Art

 

exhibition graphics exhibition graphics

Exhibition graphics at 21_21 design sight’s “Measuring: This much, That much, How much?” 

 

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Metro graphics

 

Signage, logo, museum and cafe graphics

 

Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center Asakusa Culture Tourist Information CenterJapanese signageshop graphicsTokyo Olympics 2020 logomuseum graphics 21_21 design sighthands cafe Japanese graphics marouochi graphicsshop graphics Japanese graphics

 

Packaging

 

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Food, tea and souvenir packaging

 

New designers 2014 Part.2

new designers 2014new designers 2014IMG_9141Kai Venus Designs new designers 2014

Bottom left: Kai Venus Designs‘ The cabinet of curiosity; Bottom right: Best stand award went to Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, University of Dundee

 

The last design graduation show I attended this year was New Designers 2014 Part 2 at the Islington Business Design Centre. From my past experience, I know that it would be hard to check out all the work in one go, so I signed up for the ‘meet the design award winners tour’ in order to meet the award winners directly instead of wandering around aimlessly for hours.

 

IMG_9137IMG_9136Dan BrooksEmilie Osborne Elizabeth White

Top left & middle: Alex Daniels, New Designer of the year award runner up; Top right: Dan Brooks, winner of Wilko Award for Innovation; Bottom left: Emilie Osborne, winner of the One Year On award; Bottom right: Elizabeth White, Mars award winner

 

One of my favourites at the show was the Designer of the Year runner up, Alex Daniels‘ “Fuse”. Alex’s walking aid design addressed an un-glamorous design problem for the elderly or people with walking difficulties. The walking stick can split into two parts so it can be used as a pair of crutches for both hands or a walking stick for one hand. Simple and yet very practical.

Another innovative design that I really liked was Numa, designed by Dan Brooks, winner of Wilko Award for Innovation. Numa is a heatless clothes dryer that aims to bridge the gap between static airers and tumble dryers. It can dry up to 5kg of wet clothing 3 times faster than an airer and costs just 5p an hour to run. It has a top mounted fan that provides a constant flow of air around the garments and a dehumidifier that extracts moisture from the surrounding air. I would love to see this product being available in shops sometime in the future.

Mars award winner, Elizabeth White‘s “Grow” is a clever plastic sandal design where the sandal grows and adjusts in length and width with the child wearing it, using a loop system and detachable straps. The design answers a clear issue of children outgrowing their clothes and shoes too quickly, leaving parents to purchase new ones on a regular basis.

 

Camilla LambertDouglas PulmanGraham Friend Kit Shadbolt Camilla Lambert's Musical Interlude

Top left: Camilla Lambert, the Not on the high street associate prize; Top middle: Douglas Pulman, 100% Design winner; Top right: Graham Friend, winner of Procter & Gamble Award; Bottom left: Kit Shadbolt, John Lewis award winner; Bottom right: Camilla Lambert’s Musical Interlude

 

Winner of Procter & Gamble Award, Graham Friend has designed “Skypouch”, a smart solution to children’s travel. The ‘Skypouch’ consists of a waist component that is worn and adjusted by the adult prior to sitting down. The pouch itself once unfolded provides a seat for the baby and is secured to the parent’s waist. This removes the need for the parent’s arms/hands to be continuously occupied supporting the child.

Although we did not get to meet Camilla Lambert, I was drawn to the beautifully crafted acoustic iphone amplifiers by the Not on the high street associate prize winner. I also like her playful Musical Interlude (see above), which seems like a fun bench to sit on!

 

Joanna Mannix's Snug Collection IMG_9143Peter IvesonOliver Richardson's Kitchen TotemsClare Evens' Sense of makingLou LoIMG_9144wael seaiby Marjorie Artieres

Top left: Joanna Mannix‘s Snug Collection; 2nd row: Peter Iveson’s “Study Bright”; 3rd row left: Oliver Richardson’s Kitchen Totems; 3rd row middle: Sense of making by Clare Evans; 3rd row right: Lou Lo’s “11g of ground, 22g of ground”‘; Bottom left: Wael Seaiby’s Plag collection; Bottom right: Marjorie Artieres’s “Note by Note”

 

Elsewhere at the show, I was also intrigued by Peter Iveson‘s “Study Bright” (see above), a low cost alternative lighting solution for developing countries which allows children to study in complete darkness.

For those who love kitchen gadgets, Oliver Richardson‘s Kitchen Totems would certainly appeal to them. The sets of kitchen utensils can be stacked into totem-pole arrangements in the order they are likely to be required. Each of the Kitchen Totems are designed for kitchen rituals that take place at different times of the day. Besides the primary functions, the beautifully-crafted set would not look out of place in any modern kitchens.

For futuristic kitchen gadgets, Marjorie Artieres ‘s “Note by Note” offers a new laboratory for those passionate individuals who seek a theatre for cooking. It recaptures the heritage of true cooking by combining the physicality of the analogue with the precision of the digital. His set resembles apparatus from a chemistry lab than kitchenware, will this turn us into alchemists in the future?

Three designers who use waste innovatively to create new designs are Clare Evens, Wael Seaiby and Lou Lo. Clare Evens‘ has created a range of household products and glasses frames using the smallest ‘micro bead’, tiny particles of plastic found in exfoliating beauty products that end up being washed down the sink probably ending up in our seas, combined with the more obvious discarded sea rope or plastic bottles that are found in the sea or washed up on the shoreline.

Meanwhile, Wael Seaiby‘s “Plag” collection aims to challenge that notion by delivering a line of hand-worked vessels that are reminiscent of glass or ceramic craftsmanship using HDPE from recycled plastic bags. The vessels are evocative of the bags from which they stem; their smooth finish, along with their distorted shapes, are directly inspired by the physical aspects of the crinkly plastic bags.

Last but not least, Lou Lo‘s “11g of ground, 22g of ground” is designed to target the current disposable paper cup waste issue. The average cup of coffee uses 11 grams of coffee ground, and this is what the coffee ground turns into- “11g of ground, 22g of ground”. It is an alternative to the current system that saves up to 80% of paper. By making use of organic materials in the process, they are 100% biodegradable. “11g of ground, 22g of ground” also enhances the coffee drinking experience by its desirable features such as the distinctive coffee smell and the attention to detail in the design.

 

Beth Fox FullerIMG_9180IMG_9181IMG_9152 Robert Cooper

Top: Beth Fox-Fuller’s ASDA packaging; Bottom: Robert Cooper

 

On the packaging front, I was attracted by Beth Fox-Fuller‘s fun ASDA “Count on me” packaging with cheeky slogans like “I’m a great catch” for smoked mackerel and “Bring me home” for bacon. The minimalist labels and catchy slogans create a personal touch between the consumer and the products, and I think they would most certainly ‘upgrade’ the image of ASDA.

Robert Cooper‘s Chocolate Airfix packs for Cadbury’s looks similar to a model aeroplane kits but actually it uses hollow-wafer technology to fill the shaped wafer sheet with chocolate. The pieces, which come in four different packs, can be stuck together to create a plane, a car, a horse or a dinosaur. I can imagine this being sold in supermarkets and being loved by kids. I wonder if Cadbury will consider manufacturing this or not? We shall wait and see.

 

LCC show & New Blood exhibition

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 London College of Communications’ Summer Show

 

This summer has been busier than ever, which means I have not had much time to write… this entry is another review of two summer graduation shows in London: London College of Communications and D & AD New Blood.

My friend, Seonyoung Song who studied Book Arts at the London College of Communications invited me to their private viewing at the Elephant and Castle campus on the night when England got knocked out of the World Cup! It was a fun evening, there was ball games, free booze (not the reason why I was there) and we watched the World Cup in the canteen followed by a visit to the Wetherspoon, the evening reminded me of the days when I was a student!

 

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Top left: Seonyoung Song (Book Arts and Design); Top middle: Eldon Pickles’ “Hagia Ikea” (Graphic and Media Design); Top right: Paige Cartledge (Surface Design); Bottom left: Laura Vanweydeveld’s 2015 Calendar (Interactive Moving Image); Bottom right: Marika Samek (Graphic and Media Design)

 

Seonyoung Song‘s project is about the South Korean’s ferry disaster. The long scroll is a compilation of the event’s news report at different times. The times are highlighted in bold and the scroll ends in a bucket of water.

In one small room, I was particularly intrigued by Eldon Pickles‘ “Hagia Ikea”, featuring colourful acrylic architectural sculptures. Inspired by Islamic design and AyaSophia Muzesi in Istanbul, the collection combines modern parametric design as an extension of Islamic geometry, with the vibrant neon hues of Post Modern Arabia.

Using the same acrylic material, Marika Samek‘s “Awaken” installation is inspired by the sounds of nature. The aim of this installation is to transform the organic, clear form of wood and translucent acrylic into a shimmering world of light, shadow, and brilliant colour. It is a metaphor for how Sound can integrate with other senses and create beautiful vision in the form of a vibrant picture.

 

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Top row: D & AD New Blood at Spitalfields Market; Main: One minute briefs

 

At the D & AD New Blood exhibition, a vast amount of work from recent graduates around the UK were showcased. One of the booths near the entrance was “One Minute Briefs“, a concept by Nick Entwistle & James Clancy at The Bank of Creativity, which aims to change the way people think about advertising.

 

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Top left: Adam Chescoe Top middle: Joseph Boadens paper card models; Top right: Kate Parkes’ Takeaway theatre; Bottom right: Emily Elvin’s “We need to talk about Sleep“.

 

The show featured a large range of graphics work including advertising, packaging, illustrations, poster designs, corporate identities, editorial and designs etc. Here are just some that caught my eye:

Adam Chescoe‘s YCN Fedrigoni Woodstock “Perpetual Deadline Calendar” is a desk calendar for Fedrigoni customers to promote the Woodstock paper range. The paper range made from 80% recycled pre-consumer waste and 20% FSC certified Virgin fibre. If I had a big desk, I would love to have this colourful calendar on my desk.

Kate Parkes“Takeaway theatre” is a flatpack cardboard theatre seat, in its takeaway packaging, designed to be a front row seat in one’s own, personal, theatre. The Takeaway Theatre event is a fictional collaboration between the National Theatre, Cardboard Citizens Theatre Company and homeless charity, Crisis. The performances become fundraisers for homeless charities.

 

IMG_9107 IMG_9099IMG_9111lukas stasytistoby adams

Top right: Josh Ross‘ illustrations; Bottom row left: Poster seen at the University of Leeds’ booth; Bottom row middle: Lukas Stasytis’ Playlist; Bottom row right: Toby Adams‘ “Diversity – The Cyril Diver Project”

 

Lukas Stasytis‘ “Playlist” is a project featuring visual representations of the most popular musical genres within the designer’s personal collection of electronica. The project’s outcomes include animations, a brochure, and a poster indicating where the individual genres emerged.

 

IMG_9094 Jonathan WalleyIMG_9098

Top left: Mandi Halonen’s Long Drink; Top right: Jonathan Walley’s Pilgrim’s choice

 

Mandi Halonen‘s rebranding project for the Finnish Long Drink was awarded the Best in Show award. The Finnish alcoholic drink was banned in Finland due to being considered ‘too tasty’
and ‘too drinkable’. The designer’s project focuses on its Scandinavian heritage through simple and nostalgic graphics, I especially love the poster’s slogan,  “So good, it got banned…”.

I also like Jonathan Walley‘s rebranding of the well known cheese/cheddar brand Pilgrims Choice. Very eye-catching and fun packaging.

 

Caitlin Parks Marianna Madrizsasha moxonIMG_9102David Doran IMG_9106

Top left: Caitlin Parks’ “The Great pacific Garbage Patch”; Top middle: Marianna Madriz’s children book illustrations, “Man from a golden land”; Top right: Sasha Moxon’s “My Grandfather’s war story” on 9 silk-screened postcards; Main: Helen Archer’s DIY artist book for sculptor, Kendall Buster; Bottom left: David Doran’s illustrations

 

Caitlin Parks‘ collection of striking bird illustrations are used in the campaign posters to bring awareness to the oceanic cause “The Great pacific Garbage Patch”. The aim is to highlight the horrific amount of plastic and human waste that ends up polluting and damaging the ocean’s ecosystem every year.

I also love Venezuelan illustrator, Marianna Madriz‘s nostalgic illustrations, especially her children’s book project, “Man from a golden land”, inspired by Venezuela and Latin American folklore musician Simón Díaz.

David Doran is an AOI award winner who graduated from Falmouth University this year. With a strong interest in traditional print techniques, his work explores textures and overlapping colour palettes. Often involving a sense of narrative with conceptual elements, he frequently employs figures and symbolism and his work has been featured in The New York Times, WIRED and Nobrow.

 

 

Creative Taiwanese packaging & graphics

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Sweets/ candies packaging

 

I have always been a fan of Japanese packaging but when I was in Taiwan, I was quite excited by the creative and humourous packaging especially with food. From tea to honey, rice, candies, crackers and cakes, every package has its own style and uniqueness. Here are just some snapshots that I took while I was traveling:

 

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Tea packaging

 

dried fish packagingrice packaging

Left: Seafood crackers; Right: Rice packaging

 

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An interesting range of food packaging including red bean, honey and banana cheese pie

 

Exhibition graphics and museums’ signage are equally interesting, I especially love their toilets’ signage:

 

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Exhibitions’ graphics

 

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Cute oilets’ signage at museums and shops

 

F-Troupe

 

Apart from essentials, I rarely shop for fashion items these days. As someone who used to work in fashion and a shopaholic, I accumulated so much ‘stuff’ over the years that I simply ran out of room(s) to fit them all.

Then one day, I decided to sell all my unworn and barely-used fashion items on ebay and it really changed my life. Not only did I discover the joy of selling but also the joy of consuming less.

Nowadays, I would buy my fashion essentials from Uniqlo, Muji or Cos, though occasionally would treat myself to something special… mostly during the sales period. Since I discovered F-Troupe two years ago, an independent British brand for footwear, I couldn’t resist the temptation and have bought a few pairs of shoes from them ( great bargains during the sales). I like their designs because they are quirky, playful, original with British historical and functional influences. In their A/W 2011 collection, they launched a Harris Tweed collection of shoes and boots called “Glorious 12th” that are hand woven from pure virgin wool in Scotland.

 

 

I love their website, their fun shoe boxes as well as their store that looks more like a curiosity shop near Carnaby Street! These days, it’s not easy to find fashion brands that have strong identities and are not heavily influenced by trends, and F-Troupe stands out because they are not trend-followers.

Last week, I saw these patent leather burgundy boots in their store and just fell for them, not sure how practical they are but I just couldn’t resist…

Sales are still on in store and online:

33 Marshall Street, London, W1F 7EX

www.f-troupe.com

 

Souvenir from Tokyo (part 1)

Again, I was supposed to write about this right after I got back from Asia… it has taken me a while to sort out the photos but I really want to share the goodies I brought back from Tokyo because they are so weird and wonderful!

 

Pianissimo ViV Menthol cigarettes

I am no longer a smoker but when I saw these on sale from the street vending machine, I had to get a pack for my smoker friend! Each cigarette in the pack contains a ‘breath sparkling shot capsule’ in the filter. Before crushing the capsule, the cigarette gives a menthol taste with mint flavour. After crushing the capsule, it would give a more intense and sweet menthol flavour with a refreshing taste. Apparently, it’s similar to Camel Menthol Crush which launched the year before, but I like the packaging of this and am tempted to try one myself just for the experience…

I Lohas water bottle

Another product I spotted from the vending machines (I love Japanese vending machines and convenient stores!)… The I Lohas water bottles from Coca Cola Japan allow users to twist the bottle after finishing the water, subsequently reducing the volume and save space in the refuse and recycling bins. Maybe it’s more of an eco-gimmick but I was quite intrigued and so bought a bottle to try it out myself… what’s amazing is that the bottle can actually be revert back to its original state after I twisted it, cool! Click here for to see their TV ad…

Turtle ‘Tawashi’ Vegetable Brush

This traditional scrubbing brush has been around for over 100 years! It is made of palm fibers, and is tightly bound with thick wire. It is hard, durable, waterproof and biodegradable… a ‘must’ item for the kitchen!

Japanese snacks and sweets

Who can resist Japanese snacks and sweets especially with their wonderful packaging? I just love the peanut snack and its packaging!

 

 

Seasonal napkins

In Japan, not only selling and serving seasonal food is very important, even products are often created according to the seasons. These wonderful napkins have seasonal themes; I just love the graphics, not sure if I would want to use them unless I am hosting a very special dinner party…

Tabi socks

I have a soft spot for socks especially for Japanese tabi socks! I already have quite a few sou.sou ones but I couldn’t resist buying more when I saw these! I even bought a pair of Tabio’s sports socks, it’s good to know that they have a shop in London now…

Furoshiki cloth

I can’t say that I am an expert at folding furoshiki but I love the pattern of this cloth! It’s so beautiful and wintery! Now all I need is to go onto Youtube to learn the many ways to turn this into a lovely eco bag!

To be continued…