Field Report No. 1: Japan
A series of findings from our travels.
Our studio ethos has always been: to design for this world, you need to be out in it.
True to this, last year we visited twelve or so cities.
Along the way, I’ve been archiving what we see as we go. Street signs, toilet paper, storefronts, graphics on trucks, receipts, chip packets, cartons of milk, napkins. Every form of printed matter.
Because when you’re out in the world, you start to notice that each city has its own visual fingerprint, shaped by layers of historical, cultural, political and social context, past and present.
This is a series of those findings.
Which brings me to Japan.
Yes, I know. Everyone is in Japan right now. Stay with me on this.
What I noticed
Illustrations are everywhere. On milk cartons, train adverts, snack packaging, bathroom walls. Less as decoration but more as a form of communication. It’s the dominant visual language of the country.
Characters soften instructions, mascots walk you through bureaucracy. There’s an illo telling you how to flush a toilet, another explaining how long to microwave your konbini noodles.
Illos bring a sense of optimism and if you know anything about the pressures of everyday Japanese life, that makes perfect sense.
My second observation: Japan is enamoured with all things analogue.
Book stores, cigarettes over vaping, clocks, watches, vinyl. Not performative, not ironically retro. Just a love of craftsmanship.
P.S Jas wanted me to include this horse inspiration she found…?
More reporting to come.