INSIGHTS

2022.10.27

R&D DISCUSSION Vol. 42

What is a sign? What is sign design?
What? [Part 2]

Toshiaki Yashima Information Designer

R&D DISCUSSION TOP

[Photo 1] Marunouchi Building 1st floor, large digital signage with eight displays (2019)

Q: Please tell us the origins of your sign design.

A: I was born in Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, and my father was the manager of the Suzuka Circuit, so my roots in design were Honda designs that I was familiar with as a child. When I was 14, my father was transferred and my family moved to Hawaii, where I spent my time until high school. Hawaii is a place where people of all races gather, so I struggled with the language barrier. I was often bullied and fought at the high school I attended. Even if I didn't understand the language of someone I didn't like, I could somehow understand their personality by the atmosphere they exuded. At first, I didn't understand what they were saying at all, but after 3 to 5 months, there comes a moment when I understand the system and code of the language. It's like the feeling of suddenly being able to ride a bicycle. I experienced the frustration of not understanding the language and the joy of understanding it, and at the same time, I realized the strangeness of language and the importance of creating an atmosphere that doesn't rely on language. At the time, I didn't even know that there was a term "sign design," but looking back, I feel that this bitter experience in Hawaii is the starting point for me to become an "information designer."

I returned to Japan to study law at Hosei University when I entered university. During my time at university, Japan was in the midst of the bubble economy and there were many job opportunities available, but I was unable to fit into Japanese society and graduated without any job hunting. I changed jobs several times, working as a construction worker, tour conductor, waiter, bartender, truck and motorcycle courier driver, high-rise building cleaner, and hotel receptionist. In the end, I was unable to fit into any of them and felt that I was not suited to working in an organization. In my late 20s, I helped create plates at the printing company where my wife was working part-time, and it was at that time that I finally learned about the existence of "sign design". The finished product was highly praised, so I aspired to become a designer, and at the age of 30, my first design was the sign for "Harajuku Quest" (completed in 1988/closing in 2021) [Photo 2].

[Photo 2] Sign for Harajuku Quest, a complex commercial facility that once stood in front of Harajuku Station (2001).

Q: I heard that you have had a special feeling for Marunouchi ever since you were in charge of a project there when you were just starting out as a designer.

A: I joined the Iharashi Design Office in 2002, and in parallel with working on the sign planning for Coredo Nihonbashi (completed in 2004), I was also in charge of the Sign Design Book in Marunouchi (Mitsubishi Estate). 2002 was the year that the reconstruction of Marunouchi began, and the project involved organizing the different design elements for each building and creating sign rules for the town. I think that working on information design for large-scale projects when I was just starting out as a designer is what has led me to who I am today. I also assisted with the sign planning for Marunouchi Hotel (completed in 2004), Shin-Marunouchi Building (completed in 2007), and Marunouchi Park Building (completed in 2009).

The diverse work experience I had in my twenties is useful when planning signage. In every project, I make it a rule to "not work only for the client, but to be conscious of the anonymous people behind them." For example, in the case of a commercial facility, I try to realistically imagine not only the customers, but also the various people who work there and visitors (such as truck drivers and building cleaners, which I have previously worked as), and incorporate this into my signage planning. This is why I place more importance on ideas (ways of thinking) than on the design itself.
Even after becoming independent in 2009, I had the opportunity to be involved in Marunouchi, and was in charge of the digital signage planning for the sign renewal of Marunouchi Building and Shin-Marunouchi Building in 2019 and 2021 [Photo 3]. The large digital signage [Photo 1] on the first floor of Marunouchi Building, next to the general information desk, displays a walking map introducing the entire town of Marunouchi, in addition to floor guides and event information for each floor. In the old days of commercial facilities, signs advertising rival surrounding facilities were unheard of, but from the customer's perspective, this information is essential for walking around the town. Each facility is illustrated, and animations of people passing by Marunouchi Nakadori Street create a fun atmosphere. During rugby season, rugby players may appear, so be sure to look for them (laughs).

A sign I made 20 years ago is still in use on a street corner in Marunouchi, so I'm always concerned about how the town is doing [Photo 4]. Like a parent watching over their child, I continued to visit the area frequently and take photos, even after a state of emergency was declared to combat the novel coronavirus. While I felt lonely as the people disappeared, I was also reminded of the abundance of greenery in places like the Imperial Palace Outer Gardens and Marunouchi Nakadori Street. I was really happy when the town gradually began to regain its vitality.

[Photo 3] Floor guide for the 6th floor of Marunouchi Building (2021).
The floor guide uses a touchless display system, so when searching for a restaurant, for example, it can display restaurants not only by floor, but also by genre, such as Japanese or Italian.
[Photo 4] The cylindrical sign (2004) that still stands on a street corner in Marunouchi.

Q: Is there anything else you have re-realized as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic?

A: The COVID-19 pandemic gave me time, and through the work on the book, I had the opportunity to reconsider my activities after going independent. Since I started my office 13 years ago, I have been serializing "Sign Journey" in the sign and display magazine "POP EYE". It is a corner where I interviewed more than 50 of my colleagues, including architects, designers, and artists, about signs and streetscapes around the world, and introduced them in text and photos. As I continued the serialization, as I mentioned earlier, I realized that the word "sign" has a very broad meaning, and I wanted more people to know that it is an essential part of our daily lives, so I decided to compile it into a book called "Sign Designs of the World and Beautiful Streetscapes" and publish it through Sansai Books. It is a book that introduces the lives, cultures, and communication of the world through a journey through signs. It took about a year to produce, but it will be published this fall and will be available in bookstores nationwide [Plate 1].

[Figure 1] "Sign Designs and Beautiful Cityscapes from Around the World" (Sansai Books, Fall 2022).

[Photo 2 and illustration 1: Provided by Toshiaki Yashima]

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PROFILE

Information Designer, Representative of Yashima Design Office, Inc.

Toshiaki Yashima

Toshiaki Yashima

Born in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture in 1970. Moved to the US with his family in 1984, graduating from Kaimuki High School in Hawaii in 1989. Returned to Japan to start university, graduating from Hosei University Faculty of Law in 1994. In his 20s, he worked in a variety of jobs including tour conductor, waiter, bartender, hotelier, construction worker, truck and motorcycle courier driver, and building cleaner, before deciding to become a designer at age 30. After working at Hotel InterContinental from 1995, Nanaroku Kobo Co., Ltd. from 1996, Bikosha Co., Ltd. from 1998, Iria Co., Ltd. from 2000, and Iharashi Riyasu Design Office Co., Ltd. from 2002, he founded Yashima Design Office Co., Ltd. in 2009.

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R&D

Update : 2018.09.21

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