Graphic Design Post 1: Inspiration in the street, bright colors and high information density

Hello from Japan! I'm two full days in and I've absorbed all kinds of Japanese graphic design inspiration! Graphic design is a very practical form of art, so you see it everywhere. Street signs, magazines, the side of trucks--you name it. In my opinion, the graphics of a country are a strong reflection of its culture. Since oftentimes graphics are used in advertising, graphic design is a really interesting way of observing the psychology of a people.



Here in Japan, two key aspects of their design that I've noticed everywhere are their love of bright colors and the incredibly high information density. Japanese graphics are the opposite of subtle-- they scream at you through neon colors; they leave no blank space-- every inch of 'canvas' is a home for words, colors and strokes. You don't know what to look at first because it's all begging to be looked at. Chaotic, beautiful, loud, and daring, Japanese graphics are fun and stimulating to look at. If we're talking theme parks, Japanese graphic design is six flags (...meets Micky Mouse? We'll get to that in another post). Here are some photos I've taken.

I love walking into any corner store and looking at all the bright, word-dense labels. 

Crazy colorful and busy Japanese magazines

Graphics showing up everywhere

More to come soon!