Computer Arts Projects issue 118

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE UP TO 58%

We’ve devoted the latest Computer Arts Projects to Japanese design, in all genres – from illustration to web design, graffiti to product design, and character creation to advertising. We’ve looked into why so many creatives from around the world find Japan and its culture and design so inspiring, and how you can make the most of this inspiration in your own work – either for Western or Japanese clients.

We’ve got a guide to getting work in Japan, a look back at the history of Japanese art to discover the origins of contemporary design, and a round-up of the 20 most innovative design projects of today. There’s such a range of Japanese design, including kawaii-cuteness in our tokidoki cover image, zen-style painting and graffiti-inspired urban art, and you’ll find this reflected in our projects this month. They cover traditional minimalist illustration, manga and anime design, Japanese graffiti, and combining kamon and hanko symbols with pop-culture images.

We’ve also got plenty of great advice from designers working in Japan, including interviews with Haruki Higashi from Loworks, and two of the top creatives from Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo. However our Japanese issue inspires your own work, I’d love to hear about it. Until next month, enjoy the issue.

Kate Evans Editor

IN THE MAG

Project one: Traditional design

Japan’s graphic design history
Tom Dennis looks into Japan’s culture of calligraphy and illustration

Create a Zen-style design
Use Photoshop brushes and textures, as Chie and Inko explain

Project two: Urban art and graffiti

Japanese-style graffiti
Tokyo graff writer Imaone has expert advice on creating clean vector lines from hand-drawn graffiti

Designer challenge
We challenge three designers to create a Japanese-inspired skateboard deck

Digital manga illustration
Joanna Zhou reveals how to combine techniques to create a new style

Project three: East meets West

W+K Tokyo interview
The team reveal to Steve O’Brien how they combine Western and Asian influences

Tokyo story
Sean Ashcroft has expert advice on getting design work in Japan

Project four: The future of design

Loworks interview
Famed for its playful concepts, Loworks’ founder, Haruki Higashi, chats to Rob Carney

Beauty and the East
Dean Evans investigates the 20 most inspirational Japanese design projects

Kamon and Hanko stamps
Juan-Carlos Cambon guides you through creating an authentic Japanese kamon illustration