INSIGHTS

2022.10.27

R&D DISCUSSION Vol. 43

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

Toshiaki Yashima Information Designer

R&D DISCUSSION TOP

Main photo: Floor guide for the basement floor of Shin-Marunouchi Building (2021)

Q: Please tell us about the project that marked a turning point for you after going independent.

A: In 2009, I launched my own office with uncertainty about the future, following the Lehman Shock the previous year. Just as we were slowly starting to receive work for regional outlet malls and highway service area facilities, the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred in 2011. Immediately after that, we started working on the renovation of the common areas of the Tokyo Transportation Center in Yurakucho (completed in 1965, designed by Mitsubishi Estate) [Photo 1], which we continued to help with until 2019. To mark the 50th anniversary of the opening, we gradually renovated the elevator hall, staircase area, commercial zone corridors, underground parking lot, etc., but we were also asked to propose not only signs but also Interior Design, so we took on the challenge of designing signs as one with the space.

​Grand Front Osaka, which opened in 2013, is a large-scale project to create a vast "town" of about 7 hectares [Slide 1, Photo 2]. It consists of the South Tower (Tower A), the North Tower (Tower B and Tower C), and the Grand Front Osaka Owners Tower, and a pedestrian mall directly connected to JR Osaka Station runs through the South and North Towers. The design of the four towers is unified throughout the entire block, but each tower has a different purpose, such as offices, commercial facilities, knowledge capital, a convention center, and a hotel and service residences. The challenge was to plan a common sign for all of them and guide users to their destinations. There were 12 business owners, and the project was jointly designed by Nikken Sekkei, Mitsubishi Jisho Design, and NTT Facilities. As a law graduate, I thought that the only way to convince all the parties involved was to create a law. First, we created a map and diagram of the entire block, while identifying and organizing the information, and created a rule that general information and guidance signs should have a common heading of "South Tower/North Tower" and, conversely, a list of "information that should not be made public any more than this." We planned out what kind of signs to place where, one by one. Even if the information presented was the same, it was necessary to adjust it to suit the individual, different spatial designs, and the editing work was enormous. Not only did we have information boards for general information, but also signs around the elevators, guide signs in the passageways, road signs in the underground car park, signs for the security card reader, push buttons in the back yard, signs for the fire hydrant doors, and even designs for the fire extinguisher cases. We designed every kind of information, and in the end we ended up with about 15,000 sign items.

[Photo 1] Tokyo Transportation Center interior and sign renewal (2011-2019).
[Slide 1] Signage plan for Grand Front Osaka (2013).
[Photo 2] Approximately 15,000 signature items were designed.

Q: What kind of projects have you been working on recently?

A: For Kanagawa University Minato Mirai Campus, which opened in Minato Mirai 21 District of Yokohama in 2020, we came up with a sign that would help realize the project concept of a "Creation and Exchange Campus of the Future, Fusion of International and Japanese" [Photo 3]. The design combines and blends the blue of the university's school emblem (logo), known as "Proud Blue," with the blue of the sea and sky, which are symbols of Minato Mirai. In addition, in this project, the university told us that they wanted to reconsider the signage of the entire university in conjunction with the construction of the new Minato Mirai Campus, and we were asked to create Kanagawa University's signage planning guidelines, and we planned it as a "total signage" that would relate to the entire university.

I was also approached by Ken Tsukashima, one of the designers of Grand Front Osaka, who retired from Nikken Sekkei, and was involved in the "SEASiON" project that opened last year on Shodoshima Island in the Seto Inland Sea [Photo 4]. The building was a renovated somen noodle factory, and is a facility that combines a restaurant, event space, and art gallery with the theme of "food" and "experiment". Tsukashima himself is the owner and also worked on the design of the renovation, and it is a place for practical experiments to create a sustainable lifestyle and society in the future. After thinking about what kind of sign would be suitable for that, I decided on the theme of "bricolage". It is an idea presented by French cultural anthropologist Lévi-Strauss (1908-2009) in "The Savage Mind", which means to skillfully create things with what is available at the time. Due to limited budgets, I drew pictograms and letters myself on things left behind at the somen noodle factory and on scrap materials, and also transported and installed the signs. Not knowing what would come out or how it would end, the process of improvising and putting together the signs in an unpredictable environment was extremely stimulating.

Since last year, I have been helping to renew the sign of the International House of Japan in Roppongi (completed in 1955/preserved and restored in 2006). One of the architects, Kunio Maekawa (1905-1986), is said to have said, "In the early modern period, architects were considered the leading free professions, along with lawyers and doctors. Free professions refer to non-intellectual professions and non-commercial professions. They are not bound by anything and are recognized as having a social public nature. Lawyers must be responsible for social justice, doctors for social health, and architects for the social environment. In other words, the service they provide to their clients, patients, and owners is accompanied by an inherent character of serving the public welfare, such as social justice, social health, and the social environment, which is why they are given the status and respect of a socially free profession." And he said he never called his own architecture a work of art. When I design, I try to "feel like a local doctor," put the public nature first, make an effort not to show my individuality, and approach my work with the desire to help people. I aim to be a designer who listens carefully to others and puts the benefit of the user and society first, rather than just thinking about my own work.​

[Photo 3] Signage plan for Kanagawa University Minato Mirai Campus (2021).
[Photo 4] Sign design plan for SEASiON, which opened on Shodoshima Island in Kagawa Prefecture (2021).

[Photo 1-4, Slide 1: Provided by Toshiaki Yashima]

Back to Part 2

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.

OTHER DISCUSSIONS

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.56

Mind change――
Aiming for a company that will develop into the future [Part 2]

Hidehito Kawahara, President and CEO of ALFA PMC

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.55

Mind change――
Aiming for a company that will develop into the future [Part 2]

Hidehito Kawahara, President and CEO of ALFA PMC

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.54

Mind change――
Aiming to become a company that will develop into the future [Part 1]

Hidehito Kawahara, President and CEO of ALFA PMC

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.53

Next-generation transportation and future urban planning [Part 2]

Professor Akinori Morimoto, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University; President, City Planning Institute of Japan

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.52

Next-generation transportation and future urban planning [Part 2]

Professor Akinori Morimoto, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University; President, City Planning Institute of Japan

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.51

Next-generation transportation and future urban planning [Part 1]

Professor Akinori Morimoto, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University; President, City Planning Institute of Japan

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.50

The world is full of possibilities
--Perceive playfully and take action! [Part 2]

Nobuyuki Ueda Professor Emeritus of Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts, Director of Neo Museum

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.49

The world is full of possibilities
--Perceive playfully and take action! [Part 2]

Nobuyuki Ueda Professor Emeritus of Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts, Director of Neo Museum

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.48

The world is full of possibilities
--Perceive playfully and take action! [Part 1]

Nobuyuki Ueda Professor Emeritus of Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts, Director of Neo Museum

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.47

Light is Life: Humans on the Solar Earth [Part 2]

Hiroyasu Shouji ShojiLighting Designer

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.46

Light is Life: Humans on the Solar Earth [Part 1]

Hiroyasu Shouji ShojiLighting Designer

R&D DISCUSSION Vol45

Building fire-resistant wooden buildings [Part 2]

Noboru Yasui, Architect and Chairman of NPO team Timberize

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.44

Building fire-resistant wooden buildings [Part 1]

Noboru Yasui, Architect and Chairman of NPO team Timberize

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.43

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

Toshiaki Yashima Information Designer

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.42

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

Toshiaki Yashima Information Designer

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.41

What is a sign? What is sign design?
What? [Part 1]

Toshiaki Yashima Information Designer

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.40

Data-driven urban development that makes people happy [Part 2]

Taro Hitokoto Director of Neural Pocket Co., Ltd.

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.39

Data-driven urban development that makes people happy [Part 1]

Taro Hitokoto Director of Neural Pocket Co., Ltd.

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.38

Japan's Strategy for Achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2050 [Part 2]

Takuzo Saito Director of the Evaluation and Assessment Department, Housing and Construction Center, Better Living Foundation

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.37

Japan's strategy for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 [Part 1]

Takuzo Saito Director of the Evaluation and Assessment Department, Housing and Construction Center, Better Living Foundation

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.36

The "extra" required for architecture revealed through regional projects [Part 2]

Yasushi Takeuchi Professor, Tohoku Institute of Technology (-2021), President and CEO, Abisei Planning Co., Ltd. (2022-)

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.35

The "extra" required for architecture revealed through regional projects [Part 1]

Yasushi Takeuchi, Professor, Tohoku Institute of Technology (-2021), President and CEO, Abisei Planning Co., Ltd.

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.34

Before-Before Architecture Theory
Design techniques that unravel history [Part 2]

Toru Ajisaka, Professor, Kagoshima University

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.33

Before-Before Architecture Theory
Design techniques that unravel history [Part 1]

Toru Ajisaka, Professor, Kagoshima University

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.32

How to create a "water mass" that attracts adults
Turning aquariums into "media" through a customer-centric approach

Gen Nakamura Aquarium Producer

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.31

How to create a "water mass" that attracts adults
Sunshine Aquarium "Oasis in the Sky" [Part 2]

Gen Nakamura Aquarium Producer

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.30

How to create a "water mass" that attracts adults
Sunshine Aquarium "Oasis in the Sky" [Part 1]

Gen Nakamura Aquarium Producer

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.29

Wellness and Performance Management
How to Live in a New Era Vol.2 [Part 2]

Takayuki Hirai
Deputy Director of the CHO Office at DeNA Co., Ltd.; Representative of Ibuki LLC

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.28

Wellness and Performance Management
How to Live in a New Era vol.2 [Part 1]

Takayuki Hirai
Deputy Director of the CHO Office at DeNA Co., Ltd.; Representative of Ibuki LLC

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.27

A work style that brings about innovation
How to Live in a New Era Vol.1 [Part 2]

Takahiro Sakamoto
Representative of SSIN LLC, Advisor of KOKUYO Co., Ltd.'s Work Style Reform Project

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.26

A work style that brings about innovation
How to Live in a New Era Vol.1 [Part 1]

Takahiro Sakamoto
Representative of SSIN LLC, Advisor of KOKUYO Co., Ltd.'s Work Style Reform Project

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.25

Looking at the future design process through "Renovation" [Part 2]

Masataka Baba Architect

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.24

Looking at the future design process through "Renovation" [Part 2]

Masataka Baba Architect

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.23

Looking at the future design process through "Renovation" [Part 1]

Masataka Baba Architect

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.22

Architecture in Film: Special Effects TV and Comedy Films of the 1960s [Part 2]

Tatsuo Iso IsoArchitectural Journalist

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.21

Architecture in Film: Special Effects TV and Comedy Films of the 1960s [Part 1]

Tatsuo Iso IsoArchitectural Journalist

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.20

Pioneering the future with the power of design
Discovering Young Artists [Part 2]

Toshiki Kiriyama Director

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.19

Pioneering the future with the power of design
Discovering Young Artists [Part 2]

Toshiki Kiriyama Director

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.18

Pioneering the future with the power of design
Discovering Young Artists [Part 1]

Toshiki Kiriyama Director

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.17

The present and future of theater space
Research on Plaza Spaces Vol.3 [Part 2]

Masaji Ito + Kenji Maruyama Theater Workshop Co., Ltd.

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.16

The present and future of theater space
Research on Plaza Spaces Vol.3 [Part 1]

Masaji Ito + Kenji Maruyama Theater Workshop Co., Ltd.

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.15

How to create public spaces with 100% occupancy rate
Research on Plaza Spaces Vol.2 [Part 2]

Yuko Yamashita Yamashita, Network creator, Hiroba-nist

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.14

How to create public spaces with 100% occupancy rate
Research on Plaza Spaces Vol.2 [Part 1]

Yuko Yamashita Yamashita, Network creator, Hiroba-nist

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.13

Designing "social fluctuations"
Research on Plaza Spaces Vol.1 [Part 2]

Shoji Okabe
Evangelist at Snow Peak Business Solutions Co., Ltd., and co-representative of the nonprofit organization "Hama no Toudai"

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.12

Designing "social fluctuations"
Research on Plaza Spaces Vol.1 [Part 1]

Shoji Okabe
Evangelist at Snow Peak Business Solutions Co., Ltd., and co-representative of the nonprofit organization "Hama no Toudai"

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.11

A workplace that fosters innovation
Changing the environment changes the way you work [Part 2]

Tetsuo Kobori Architect

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.10

A workplace that fosters innovation
If the environment changes, the way you work will change [Part 2]

Tetsuo Kobori Architect

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.09

A workplace that fosters innovation
Changing the environment changes the way you work [Part 1]

Tetsuo Kobori Architect

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.08

Environmentally friendly architecture and healthy spaces drive the economy
ESG Investment and Wellness Offices [Part 2]

Shinichi Tanabe Professor, Department of Architecture, School of Creative Science and Engineering, Waseda University

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.07

Environmentally friendly architecture and healthy spaces drive the economy
ESG Investment and Wellness Offices [Part 1]

Shinichi Tanabe Professor, Department of Architecture, School of Creative Science and Engineering, Waseda University

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.06

The centripetal force of a single sketch that depicts a scene from the future [Part 2]

Tetsuo Fukuda Industrial Designer

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.05

The centripetal force of a single sketch that depicts a scene from the future [Part 1]

Tetsuo Fukuda Industrial Designer

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.04

Thinking about future redevelopment from postwar "buildings" [Part 2]

Shunsuke Kurakata historian

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.03

Thinking about future redevelopment from postwar "buildings" [Part 1]

Shunsuke Kurakata historian

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.02

Architecture: Perspectives from Industrial Design [Part 2]

Kozo Yamada, Director and Advisor, GK Design Corporation

R&D DISCUSSION Vol.01

Architecture: Perspectives from Industrial Design [Part 1]

Kozo Yamada, Director and Advisor, GK Design Corporation
R&D

Update : 2018.09.21

Tags

PAGE TOP