photo by Studio Hannah Smith
Ian Lynam Design is a multidisciplinary creative studio specializing in unique solutions for international clients. The studio has been based in Tokyo since 2005.
about ian lynam
Originally hailing from New York, Lynam has a BFA in Graphic Design from Portland State University and an MFA in Graphic Design from CalArts.
Ian is faculty at Temple University Japan. There, he teaches in the undergraduate Art, Asian Studies and General Education programs, and is actively engaged in developing curricula concerning Japanese graphic design history, design history, typography, graphic design, semiotics, image-making, identity design, motion graphics, and sociology.
Ian Lynam was faculty and Chair/Co-Chair at Vermont College of Fine Arts in the MFA Graphic Design program for 12 years. Ian has been guest faculty at the Communication Design program at Sam Fox School at Washington University in St. Louis, and Visiting Critic in the MFA Graphic Design Program at CalArts working with final-year students on Thesis/Graduate Practice. He has also been faculty in Tokyo at Meme Design School and Applied Typography Workshops Tokyo where he taught typography and design history. He teaches graphic design writing workshops internationally.
Currently, Ian writes for Idea Magazine (Japan), Slanted Magazine (Germany), and Modes of Criticism (Portugal/UK). He is a co-founder of the critical cultural online journal Néojaponisme and the associated print journal NJP. He is a founding member of the editorial board for JAGDA’s Graphic Design Review. Ian runs Wordshape, a hybrid type foundry, publishing entity, distributor, and occasional software company.
Ian is one-half of Corinthians, a Tokyo-based art and design curatorial practice with partner Renna Okubo. He is a member of JAGDA, STA, AIGA, and ATypI. He is a Mead Show winner, a two-time winner of both the STA 100 and the Asian Pacific Design Awards, a VH1 Hip Hop Honors awardee for web design, and a holder of a D&AD Pencil, amongst other awards. He has been a judge of the Lithuanian Design Awards, the Asian Pacific Design Awards, the SOTA Catalyst Awards, and is a reviewer at ATtypI.
about yuki kameguchi
Project Manager Yuki Kameguchi’s award-winning management of interactive design work for various studios have garnered a veritable heap of awards internationally including Cannes Lions, D&AD Golden Pencils, and FWA Site of the Day awards.
When this Fukuoka native is not wrangling projects, she is hard at work immersed in the study of vintage kimono, creating art in the form of glazed and baked clay, enjoying difficult music, and hanging tough.
Yuki is the guiding light of our retail shop Sailosaibin in beautiful Sasazuka.
our collaborators
We work with a tight-knit team of individuals suited to specific projects. Renna Okubo, Shu Kuge, and Emma Okubo work with us on editorial, localization, and curatorial projects. Angela Paladino, Taro Nettleton, Catherine Dale, Sayward Schoonmaker, and Randy Nakamura have been kind and graceful enough to work with us as content and copy editors on assorted projects over the past number of years. Pascal Williams and Iori Kikuchi work with us on design research initiatives, corporate and cultural identity projects, as well as broadcast and editorial design. James Todd works with us on type design projects. Stephen David Smith, Maggie Barnes, and Paul Sather work with us on local small-scale, national, international, and enterprise-level global screen-based projects, from UX and UI planning through implementation.
Our expertise and knowledge span languages, cultures, and technologies. Our collective practice is based on trust, friendship, and the common goal of ensuring that each project we work on is enriching and meaningful.
our internship policy
Internships as a concept and a practice are exploitative. We are strongly opposed to non-paying internships and have made it a practice to not utilize the services of interns, either paid or unpaid. We do not accept applications for internships.