Koji Iyama

Art Director / Graphic Designer
iyamadesign
Japan

Koji Iyama graduated from the Department of Graphic Design, Tama Art University. He worked at Nippon Design Center before founding Iyama Design. With a focus on branding through holistic direction, his practice spans a wide range of design fields, from product planning and development to communication strategies. His major works include art direction for “mt – masking tape”, Shiseido’s Holiday Collection, Shueisha Bunko’s Natsuichi campaign, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, and the NHK historical drama Ryōmaden. He has received awards including the JAGDA New Designer Award, D&AD Black Pencil, Cannes Lions Gold, SPIKES ASIA Grand Prix, Tokyo ADC Award, CLIO Awards Gold, DESIGN TOKYO Grand Prix, and the Japan Stationery Award Grand Prix.

Koichi Kosugi

Art Director
onehappy
Japan

Japan Uncovering his character through the “personification” design, Kosugi works in the fields of creative direction and art direction. Major works include NHK television serial drama “Chimudondon”, SUNTORY “Tokucha”, Japan Post “Tegami no heya”, Chubu Yakuhin “Vdrug”, Shiseido “50 selfies of Lady Gaga”, book design for “TIMELESS Eiko Ishioka and her era”, SUZUKI “HUSTLER”, STARFLYER “Kagayaku hito e”, Nippon Television “Gaki no tsukai ya arahende” and Yellow Magic Orchestra “YMO40”. Kosugi has received a number of domestic and international awards, including the Tokyo ADC Award, JAGDA New Designer Award, D&AD, NY ADC, ONE SHOW and ACC Award. A member of Tokyo ADC, JAGDA and JIFE. A part-time lecturer at the Department of Integrated Design, Tama Art University and Associate Professor at the Department of Visual Communication Design, Musashino Art University.

Takeo Nakano

Art director / Graphic Designer
Nakano Design Office
Japan

Born in 1977. Graduated from Musashino Art University and worked at Katsui Design Office. He is currently the Director of Nakano Design Office. With his core theme of structuring information and visualizing context, Nakano explores the possibilities of graphic design in various domains. Major works include: comprehensive renewal project at Printing Museum; special exhibition “Visionary Resonance - Mitsuo Katsui” at Utsunomiya Museum of Art; architectural magazine “Kenchiku Zasshi” (2012-2013); and New Elementary School Japanese Dictionary and Kanji Dictionary from Mitsumura Educationals. Awards include: Grand Prix, Japan Typography Annual; and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award, Japan Book Design Award. Selected for: Brno International Graphic Biennial, Lahti International Poster Biennial, and Moscow International Graphic Design Biennial, among others. Nakano’s work is included in the permanent collection of Seoul Calligraphy Art Museum (South Korea). Professor at Musashino Art University.

Chiharu Shimizu

Art Director / Designer / Illustrator
Hakuhodo
Japan

Born in 1983 in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Graduated from the Department of Design, Tokyo University of the Arts in 2006 and joined Hakuhodo. Winner of CANNES LIONS Silver, NYADC Gold, D&AD Bronze, ONE SHOW Gold, ADFEST Grand Prix, AD STRAS Grand Prix and Good Design Award, among others.

Seri Tanaka

Art director / Graphic Designer
Dentsu
Japan

Born in Ibaraki Prefecture in 1987. Graduated from Musashino Art University in 2010 with a degree in Visual Communication Design, and joined Dentsu the same year. With a focus on graphic design that combines universality and flexible expandability, Tanaka is engaged in corporate identity, visual identity development, and art direction for brands. Major design works include logo design: Senkin (Japanese sake); Koumi-machi Kougen Museum of Art; Ao-Hata Bookstore; and Amnient Kyoto. Advertising art for exhibition “Another Energy” at Mori Art Museum and “Color Fields” at Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art. Artwork for “unpeople” by Shuta Hasunuma, and graphic design for Hitsujibungaku, among others. Tanaka also presents personal works concerning contingency through photography. Awards include: JAGDA New Designer Award 2020, Cannes Lions, and NY ADC.

Agata Yamaguchi

Art director / Graphic Designer
Collé
Japan

Born in 1988. Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts with a degree in Design from the Faculty of Fine Arts. After working at 10 inc., Yamaguchi established collé inc. in 2021. With te has received the motto of “positive graphic design”, Yamaguchi is engaged in corporate and visual identity development, branding, package design, signage planning, and commission artworks. Through his original brand, “published by collé”, Yamaguchi explores ways of expression across a variety of fields. Recipient of the JAGDA New Designer Award 2024.

Kazufumi Nagai

Art director
HAKUHODO DESIGN
Japan

Graduated from Tama Art University with a degree in Graphic Design and joined Hakuhodo. Established Hakuhodo Design in 2003, a branding company with a focus in design. Nagai is engaged in supporting various management reforms for both public and private sectors, as well as branding for businesses, products, and services. Recipient of numerous domestic and international awards, including Creator of the Year, ADC Award Grand Prix, and Mainichi Design Prize. The president of Japan Graphic Design Association Inc. (JAGDA).

Alexis Jamet

Graphic Designer / Artist
France

Alexis Jamet is a French graphic designer and artist based in Tokyo and Paris, known for his multidisciplinary approach combining graphic design, illustration and animation. Alexis enjoys balancing his personal creative practice with collaborations with cultural institutions, brands and prestigious publications around the world. His style pushes the boundaries of traditional illustration, often exploring abstraction, texture and fluidity. Over the years, Alexis has built a strong reputation for his ability to create captivating visuals that evoke emotion and invite interpretation, whether through editorial projects, exhibitions or commissions. https://alecsi.com/

Tai-keung Kan

Graphic Designer / Artist
KTK Consultants
China

Born in 1942 in Pangyu, Guangzhou, Kan Tai-keung has resided in Hong Kong since 1957. He first studied sketching and watercolour painting with his Uncle May Tin in 1964, and in 1967, Kan took up the Applied Design Course taught by Wucius Wong and started his career as a designer since then. In the same year, Kan started to study Chinese Ink Painting with Lui Shou-kwan. In 1969, Kan begun creating his own ink painting, and became the member of the One Art Group. Kan was an active participant of Hong Kong New Ink Art Movement and has continued to work for a spark of originality. Since early 1970s, Kan has enthusiastically participated in art and design education, and has influenced many of his pupils. Kan’s highly acclaimed works brought him early prominence, numerous of local and international awards. Important awards include: the first designer elected as one of the ""Hong Kong Ten Outstanding Young Persons” (1979); Award of Urban Council Fine Art (1981); Gold Awards, International Art Competition, Los Angeles (1984); The 2nd Hsiung Shih Biennial Award (1987); Artist of the Year Award, Hong Kong (1991); 1st Prize in the 1st International Computer Art Biennale in Rzeszów (1995); Gold Award in Mercury Award, New York and Outstanding Achievements Award (1998). Kan was conferred the Honour of Bronze Bauhinia Star (1999) and later the Honour of Silver Bauhinia Star (2010). In 2005, Kan was awarded the Honorary Doctor of Design in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. In 2016, he was awarded the HKDA Lifetime Honorary Award by Hong Kong Designers Association. Being exhibited in both local and overseas, Kan’s works are widely collected by museums and private collectors alike, and are in the collections of M+ Museum; Hong Kong Museum of Art; Hong Kong Heritage Museum; The University of Hong Kong; National Art Museum of China; Guangdong Art Museum; Taiwan Provincial Art Museum; The Art Society of the International Monetary Fund Washington in U. S. A.; Minneapolis Institute of Art, U.S.A.; Victoria & Albert Museum British; The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, University of Oxford etc. Kan actively involves in educating and promoting art and design profession. He is now the Fellow Member of Alliance Graphique Internationale; Advisor of the Leisure & Cultural Services Department; Honorary Advisor of Hong Kong Museum of Art ; the Advisor of China Federation of Literary and Advisor of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Hong Kong Member Association Limited; Council Member of Pinshan Art Museum, the Honorary Dean of the Cheung Kong School of Art and Design, Shantou University. Kan was the Guest Professor of Central Institute of Fine Arts and Guest Professor of Tsing Hua University and Guest Professor, Honorary Professor and Chair Professor of Universities and institutes.

Akira Minagawa

Designer / Founder
minä perhonen
Japan

Akira Minagawa founded minä, the predecessor of minä perhonen, in 1995. Focusing on textile design primarily created through hand-drawn, artisanal processes, his practice is closely tied to everyday life and spans across clothing, furniture, tableware, as well as spatial direction for shops and hotels. He also provides designs for textile brands in Japan and abroad, and creates illustrations for newspapers and magazines. He is the recipient of the Mainichi Fashion Grand Prix (2006), the Mainichi Design Prize (2015), the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s New Artist Prize at the 66th Art Encouragement Prize, and the Special Jury Prize of the Mainichi Fashion Grand Prix (2025). Minagawa has also been awarded the Knight, First Class, of the Order of the Lion of Finland.