s ea
ascender MAGA ZI N E
i s s u e 01
t
ts e me st e w
MEETS
EAST WEST
akenobu Igarashi was born 1994 in Hokkaido, he is one of Japan’s most prolific artists (Typeroom, 2014) and has attained international acclaim as a graphic designer for his axonometric style of form and typography since the start of his career in the early 1970s.
The signature axonometric form Igarashi has developed is a product of his unique approach was to perceive letterforms as solid volumes which were then divided into positive and negative spaces. This allowed each letter form to be broken down to some of its simplest shapes whilst still retaining its readability ( Poulin, 2012, p. 197)
Igarashi’s style is a unique one having been created through the fusion of both Eastern and Western ideas.
I’ve been greatly influenced by Swiss artists who explored grid systems and mathematical order. I’ve also been influenced by Japanese architecture, which relies a great deal on unit systems. - Takenobu Igarashi
(Typeroom, 2014)
Igarashi has created a number of projects such as environmental design, graphics, identity systems, product packaging and signage for an array of notable clients both domestic and international including Meiji Milk Products Co. Ltd., Suntory Holdings Ltd., Mitsui Bank Ltd., Tama Art University, Oji Paper Co. Ltd., and UHAG (Igarashi, n.d.) before moving to Los Angeles in 1996 to work as a sculptor. (GrainEdit, 2011) Despite no longer working within the graphic design industry Igarashi is still very involved as he has been an accepted member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI) since 1980 and is actively involved in the teaching of younger generations by teaching at Chiba University and the University of Los Angeles (UCLA) as well as having collaborated to found the Faculty of Design at Tama Art University in order to set up the first computerized design education in Japan a university of which he remains President. (History of Graphic Design, n.d.)
Takenobu Igarashi Portrait Lemnos. (n.d.).
ASCENDER MAGAZINE
i u Igarash
Igarashi kenobu
Ta 982) by Poster, (1 Official 5 ‘8 EXPO
One of Igarashi’s most iconic posters is a proposal he made in 1982 for the Expo ‘85, an international exposition fo the dwelling and construction industry. On the poster, the word “expo” has been created in his signature style where the letters’ structural forms have been pulled apart to expose their inner structures. This style worked particularly well on this poster as his experimentation fulfilled not only an aesthetic purpose but also a commercial one as the deconstructed forms make reference to his client, the construction industry. (Meggs, 2016)
Igarashi kenobu
ster MoMa Po
4) by Ta ster, (197 Media Po ic us M New
Igarashi has always been an innovative designer as exemplified by his New Music Media Poster 1974, in which he was able to create a photo exposure device prior to the computer age. He cleverly used an offset printing technique in order to create his desired effect for the type. (Igarashi, n.d.)
Takenob - 1991) by r, (1984 Calenda
The MoMa Calendar, 1944 - 1991 project is one of Igarashi’s biggest and infamous works. The calendar involved the design of 622 different numerals with distinct ideas for each month. Over the course of seven years, Igarashi had designed 4356 axonometric, three-dimensional numerals based upon 84 different ideas. The majority of these numerals having been drawn manually with a ruling pen. (Igarashi, n.d.)
Igarashi has been creating alphabet sculptures from various materials since the 1980s. However, the most well known are the Aluminium Alphabet Sculptures as it is the only complete series of all 26 letters from A to Z. (Igarashi, n.d.) The series is an important study into detailing, material, three-dimensional form, typography and visual interpretation. The series is a conceptual, mathematical and spatial view of letterforms which exhibits the multitude of possibilities of shape and mass. ( Poulin, 2012, p. 197) 983) pture, (1 bet Scul m Alpha Igarashi u b no by Take
Aluminiu
ASCENDER MAGAZINE
R E F E R E NCE S GrainEdit. (2011). Takenobu Igarashi: Early Design Work. Retrieved from http://www.grainedit.com/2011/06/23/takenobu-igarashi-early-design-work/ History of Graphic Design. (n.d.). Takenobu Igarashi. Retrieved from http://www.historygraphicdesign.com/the-age-of-information/national-visions-within-a-global-dialogue/201-takenobu-igarashi Igarashi, T. (1983). Aluminium Alphabet Sculptures. Retrieved from http://www.takenobuigarashi.jp/en/artwork/68/ Igarashi, T. (1983). Aluminium Alphabet Sculpture “A” [Image]. Retrieved from https://i1.wp.com/www.takenobuigarashi.jp/admin/wp-content/uploads/0068_alphabet_a.jpg?w=600 Igarashi, T. (1983). Aluminium Alphabet Sculpture “B” [Image]. Retrieved from https://i2.wp.com/www.takenobuigarashi.jp/admin/wp-content/uploads/0068_alphabet_b.jpg?w=600 Igarashi, T. (1983). Aluminium Alphabet Sculpture “C” [Image]. Retrieved from https://i1.wp.com/www.takenobuigarashi.jp/admin/wp-content/uploads/0068_alphabet_c.jpg?w=600 Igarashi, T. (1983). Aluminium Alphabet Sculpture “D” [Image]. Retrieved from https://i0.wp.com/www.takenobuigarashi.jp/admin/wp-content/uploads/0068_alphabet_d.jpg?w=600 Igarashi, T. (1983). Aluminium Alphabet Sculpture “E” [Image]. Retrieved from https://i2.wp.com/www.takenobuigarashi.jp/admin/wp-content/uploads/0068_alphabet_e.jpg?w=600 Igarashi, T. (1983). Aluminium Alphabet Sculpture “F” [Image]. Retrieved from https://i2.wp.com/www.takenobuigarashi.jp/admin/wp-content/uploads/0068_alphabet_f.jpg?w=600 Igarashi, T. (1983). Aluminium Alphabet Sculpture “G” [Image]. Retrieved from https://i2.wp.com/www.takenobuigarashi.jp/admin/wp-content/uploads/0068_alphabet_g.jpg?w=600 Igarashi, T. (1982). EXPO ‘85 Official Poster [Image]. Retrieved from https://media1.britannica.com/eb-media/14/72714-004-169EE9E4.jpg Igarashi, T. (n.d.). MoMa Poster Calendar. Retrieved from http://www.takenobuigarashi.jp/en/artwork/39/ Igarashi, T. (1984 - 1991). MoMa Poster Calendar [Image]. Retrieved from https://i1.wp.com/www.takenobuigarashi.jp/admin/wp-content/uploads/0039_moma_poster_calendar02.jpg?w=800 Igarashi, T. (n.d.). New Music Media Poster. Retrieved from http://www.takenobuigarashi.jp/en/artwork/30/ Igarashi, T. (1974). New Music Media Poster [Image]. Retrieved from https://i1.wp.com/www.takenobuigarashi.jp/admin/wp-content/uploads/0030_new_music_media_poster01.jpg?w=600 Igarashi, T. (n.d.). Profile. Retrieved from http://www.takenobuigarashi.jp/en/profile/ Lemnos. (n.d.). Takenobu Igarashi Portrait [Image]. Retrieved from http://www.lemnos.jp/en/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Takenobu_Igarashi.jpg Meggs, P. B. (2016). Graphic Design in the 20th Century. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/art/graphic-design/Graphic-design-in-the-20th-century Poulin, R. (2012). Graphic Design and Architecture, A 20th Century History [e-book]. Retrieved from https://issuu.com/aveharysakti/docs/graphic_design_and_architecture__a_ Typeroom. (2014). East meets West in the stunning typography of Takenobu Igarashi. Retrieved from http://www.typeroom.eu/article/east-meets-west-stunning-typography-takenobuigarashi?page=1