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November 23, 2005

I.D. Magazine's Japanese Design Issue is a Keeper

We picked up the November issue of I.D. (International Design) magazine last week. This is rare because though we often flip through the mag every time we're in the bookstore, we seldom actually buy it. But the November 2005 edition has a striking cover that beautifully sums up the theme of this special issue: The Honda ASIMO robot walking in front of a massive glass window with a view overlooking the towering glass-and-steal –and-concrete inner-city sprawl of Tokyo. The theme is Japanese design. But the cover headline and teaser put it best: "Keeping Up with Japanese Design" and "So beautifully strange and oddly familiar--we can't take our eyes off it." The last time I.D. dedicated an entire issue to Japanese design was 1984. Some of the highlights are articles on the designer toy makers a la Kubrick; Osaka indie fashion designer Cosmic Wonder; and Japanese design mags and mag design (this article by Jean Snow of the blogs jeansnow.net and MocoLoco Tokyo). As they say, this one is a keeper.

Essential Links

I.D. Magazine Web Site
jeansnow.Net

Posted by Ray Chan at November 23, 2005 12:28 AM