SausageFest

Identity for a new D2C sausage brand!

Neighbors

Identity design for a craft beer gastropub in Kamakura.

Darshan

An identity for a new Ayurvedic Indian restaurant and yoga studio.

“As an artist, publisher, writer and designer, Ian seems to have had more than nine lives, and frankly it’s hard to keep up! He doesn’t just bring technical skills, but a depth of cultural understanding from the ground up — low, high, pop, fringe — that is invaluable to his varied clients. While other designers skim the shiny surface of current trends, Ian drills down with a solid understanding of history and meaning of the motifs, letter forms, and images he utilizes.”

– Chloe Eudaly

Reading Frenzy

Mono-graphic

We made a tee shirt with 80% of the logos we've designed over the past 25 years.

Temple University Japan 2026 Conference

Naming, branding, identity and collateral design for TUJ's 2026 Conference.

Fort George X Everywhere

New label designs for legends!

“Ian is everything I could ask for: a highly talented video creator, web designer, creative collaborator and consultant, all rolled into one guy with a great attitude! I’ve really enjoyed working together with Ian and applaud his stellar creativity, attention to detail, and flexible accommodation to tight timelines and collaborative revisions — thanks for the amazing work, and here’s to more!”

– Felicia Lee

Google Japan

Undefiners

Yuki Kameguchi's debut exhibition!

Existing is Exhausting

Skulls, skulls, skulls.

“Ian is the best to work with. He went above and beyond what I needed with my project. Ian Lynam has really good eyes – the kind of eyeballs that can tell you just what you need for the right sparks to fly everywhere, including my and your clients eyeballs.”

– Bwana Spoons

Laughing Monk Brewing

Packaging and identity brush-up for the iconic California brewery.

Fracture: Japanese Graphic Design 1875–1975 exhibition

A traveling educational exhibition about the history of Japanese graphic design history!

Women Graphic Designers

An essay in an inclusive new book about graphic design history.

“Ian has the design skills I wish I had. His consistently creative designs come from an informed mind and relentless work ethic. I love working with him.”

– Austin Whipple

Pinball Publishing Inc.

Still Exhausted

Stay exhausted.

Roebling Pizza

New identity for one of NY's oldest pizzerias!

Nayaz

Identity for an event space in Tokyo

“Ian is an honest, simply-brilliant, graphic designer with skills and talent in abundance with the flexibility to adapt to meet and exceed a client’s need and did so each time we worked with him. He is a pleasure to collaborate with I would recommend him to anyone with confidence.”

– Joseph Keating

Klein Dytham architecture

Ferret

Brand identity for Tokyo consultancy

Two Way Tie for Last Vol. 2

Finally! Another shirt that you can read!

“Ian has the design skills I wish I had. His consistently creative designs come from an informed mind and relentless work ethic. I love working with him.”

– Austin Whipple

Pinball Publishing Inc.

Fracture: Japanese Graphic Design 1875–1975

The definitive book about Japanese graphic design history.

Shōwa Guide Tokyo

Art direction for W. David Marx and Roni Xu's book about the remnants of the Shōwa era.

“In all our collaborations, Ian has always brought a fresh perspective and boundless energy to the project. His encyclopedic knowledge of visual culture, ability to quickly work through multiple concepts, and deep Rolodex of talented friends, also give us the confidence to move beyond our first idea, towards a final product that will surprise and delight our clients.”

– Chris Palmieri

AQ

Vaud Pro

Ten years after its initial release, we’ve debuted Vaud Pro, our completely redrawn and reengineered version of our type family Vaud.

Pintology Craft Beers

Packaging design for Tokyo's best bar.

“As an artist, publisher, writer and designer, Ian seems to have had more than nine lives, and frankly it’s hard to keep up! He doesn’t just bring technical skills, but a depth of cultural understanding from the ground up — low, high, pop, fringe — that is invaluable to his varied clients. While other designers skim the shiny surface of current trends, Ian drills down with a solid understanding of history and meaning of the motifs, letter forms, and images he utilizes.”

– Chloe Eudaly

Reading Frenzy

Two Way Tie for Last

Finally! A shirt that you can read!

Nestlé Toll House custom type

Ruth's Recipe, a custom display typeface for the originators of the chocolate chip cookie

Rick Froberg: The Beating You Deserve

An overview of the career of the late musician, designer, illustrator and artist Rick Froberg of the bands Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes, Pitchfork, and Obits.

“Ian is an honest, simply-brilliant, graphic designer with skills and talent in abundance with the flexibility to adapt to meet and exceed a client’s need and did so each time we worked with him. He is a pleasure to collaborate with I would recommend him to anyone with confidence.”

– Joseph Keating

Klein Dytham architecture

James Day Leavitt “Skylark”

LP. CD, and cassette tape design for musician James Day Leavitt

Goldrush

Identities for twin businesses Goldrush Computing and Goldrush Studios

Stepdown

Identity for a new gallery in Hastings, New Zealand

“Eschewing the shortsighted practical nature of much graphic design-oriented writing, Lynam focuses on demythologizing contemporary graphic design – opening up a new horizon of discourse both East and West.”

– Kiyonori Muroga

Idea Magazine

Cooper Chrome Italic Pro

A new retro typeface set that combines the BMX-inspired aesthetics of the 1980s with the roaring 20s!

Elpy

Elpy is a friendly rounded sans serif 22-member workhorse family inspired by all things music!

QDOBA custom font family

A family of new typefaces for the Mexican restaurant chain

“Ian has the design skills I wish I had. His consistently creative designs come from an informed mind and relentless work ethic. I love working with him.”

– Austin Whipple

Pinball Publishing Inc.

Ovice

Corporate identity for collaborative software corporation.

The Failed Painter

A book about art, design and culture.

Min Min

Naming, Positioning, Corporate Identity, Copywriting, Website UI/UX/Dev/Build, Packaging & POP for CBD gelato brand

“In all our collaborations, Ian has always brought a fresh perspective and boundless energy to the project. His encyclopedic knowledge of visual culture, ability to quickly work through multiple concepts, and deep Rolodex of talented friends, also give us the confidence to move beyond our first idea, towards a final product that will surprise and delight our clients.”

– Chris Palmieri

AQ

The Nest

Two essays about design within one amazing book!

Ipsum Alii

Corporate identity for a new Swiss skincare brand

“Ian is everything I could ask for: a highly talented video creator, web designer, creative collaborator and consultant, all rolled into one guy with a great attitude! I’ve really enjoyed working together with Ian and applaud his stellar creativity, attention to detail, and flexible accommodation to tight timelines and collaborative revisions — thanks for the amazing work, and here’s to more!”

– Felicia Lee

Google Japan

Critique & Context

A new 4-part series of writing in Idea.

Art Platform Japan

An online library of English translations of key selected writings on contemporary art in Japan

Corinthians Press 002: Zombie Somnambulence

The second installment of publications from Corinthians Press!

“Ian is the best to work with. He went above and beyond what I needed with my project. Ian Lynam has really good eyes – the kind of eyeballs that can tell you just what you need for the right sparks to fly everywhere, including my and your clients eyeballs.”

– Bwana Spoons

Culture: An Owner’s Manual

A Ghost.io website for W. David Marx's latest book.

Martini Monsters

Identity for Twitch streamer and health coach.

Kamawanu

A new international e-commerce website for the Japanese tenugui maker.

“The best kept secret in Japan. Encyclopedic in his knowledge of typography and all things beautifully considered. There are few men in Tokyo — nay, the world — that care more about design and the creative process as does Ian Lynam. Oh, and he’s the nicest guy you’ll meet.”

– Craig Mod

Doko Demo Design Deluxe

Our new Japanese/English dictionary for designers and artists!

Flor Wines

Naming, branding, identity, and e-commerce for Portland's wine phenom!

Icelandic Japan

Brand positioning, identity, messaging, website, and interior graphic design.

“Working with Ian is a dream! He is able to take a few half-formed thoughts from our end and turn them into brilliant design that eloquently communicates the identity we aim to project. He has an amazing ability of knowing exactly what you need with only the slightest amount of information. He treats each project with the utmost attention and care and is always quick to respond to changes with an open and generous mind. We couldn’t imagine working with anyone else!”

– Gretchen Hogue

Portland Documentary & eXperimental Film Fest

30-or-so-Minor-Objects-Ian-Lynam001

30 or so Minor Objects: Japanese Graphic Design History

A 130-page bilingual English/Japanese book on pre-WW2 design history.

ServiceNow Tokyo

Interior graphics for ServiceNow's Tokyo office

Design & Consumerism of Modern Japan

A presentation about Japanese graphic design history

“Ian has the design skills I wish I had. His consistently creative designs come from an informed mind and relentless work ethic. I love working with him.”

– Austin Whipple

Pinball Publishing Inc.

Writing Writing

An exhibition of graphic designers who write, research, teach, and practice criticism.

Luxe and Design Ian Lynam

Luxe & Design

A website design for an exterior design firm and product manufacturer.

“Ian Lynam is a visionary and a thought leader in the field of design. It’s an honor to have him lead our graduate graphic design program.”

– Thomas Greene, President

Vermont College of Fine Arts

DOTA2 Radiance

Custom type design for Valve's massively popular multiplayer game DOTA2.

Plaid

We created a custom version of our popular typeface families Cern and Cern Display for financial technology company Plaid.

“Ian is an honest, simply-brilliant, graphic designer with skills and talent in abundance with the flexibility to adapt to meet and exceed a client’s need and did so each time we worked with him. He is a pleasure to collaborate with I would recommend him to anyone with confidence.”

– Joseph Keating

Klein Dytham architecture

The Impossibility of Silence

The Impossibility of Silence is a 200+ page paperback for creative folks interested in approaching writing about their vocation and culture.

Asano Dental Clinic

Identity for Asano Dental Clinic in Kaminoge, Setagaya in Tokyo.

AXES Partners

Branding and identity for AXES Partners, a multidisciplinary firm specializing in project management services throughout all of Japan.

“In all our collaborations, Ian has always brought a fresh perspective and boundless energy to the project. His encyclopedic knowledge of visual culture, ability to quickly work through multiple concepts, and deep Rolodex of talented friends, also give us the confidence to move beyond our first idea, towards a final product that will surprise and delight our clients.”

– Chris Palmieri

AQ

Baseline Shift

Untold Stories of Women in Graphic Design History

Ouzuri

The Future of Tradition: brand-building for a Japanese footwear startup

Wordshape

Wordshape is our hybrid type foundry, publishing entity, distributor of the Japanese graphic design magazine IDEA /アイデア and related Japanese graphic design books, and software company.

“Ian is an honest, simply-brilliant, graphic designer with skills and talent in abundance with the flexibility to adapt to meet and exceed a client’s need and did so each time we worked with him. He is a pleasure to collaborate with I would recommend him to anyone with confidence.”

– Joseph Keating

Klein Dytham architecture

The Letter I

A 52-page booklet by Ian Lynam that examines notions of authenticity via design, consumption, and history.

Adipeau

Identity for Swiss/American skin care brand

Slanted #35 – Los Angeles

We co-edited and co-curated Slanted #35, an issue wholly devoted to LA.

“Eschewing the shortsighted practical nature of much graphic design-oriented writing, Lynam focuses on demythologizing contemporary graphic design – opening up a new horizon of discourse both East and West.”

– Kiyonori Muroga

Idea Magazine

NJP No. 1

The debut print journal from Néojaponisme — 128 pages of new content about retro Tokyo past and present.

Temple University Japan in Sangenjaya

Corporate identity, signage, and interior design for TUJ in Sangenjaya.

Critique: The War of Design

A zine about how to approach design critique from cultural and critical perspectives.

“Ian’s a sharpshooter. We had some identity issues that needed a pro and he took to heart our long-winded descriptions of all things we were trying to evoke. He returned with a thorough identity presentation that struck an exquisite balance of all that things that swirled around in our heads. It made us look in the mirror and think, “Yeah, thats who we are!”

– Trevor Fife

Field Office Films

VCFA MFA in Graphic Design collateral

Collateral design for VCFA's MFA in Graphic Design Program

IDEA #385

A 32-page feature on Ian Lynam Design in IDEA #385.

VCFA branding & marketing

Branding, positioning, marketing & identity initiatives for Vermont College of Fine Arts

“Joyfully and skillfully straddling the line between creator and critic, theorist and practitioner, formalist and rebel, American and expatriate, serious analyst and humorous deconstructor, Ian Lynam always brings a wholly original perspective to his writing on design. The insights are always fresh, and the stakes are always extremely high.”

– W. David Marx

author of Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style

Doof Doof

Doof Doof is a series of design writing workshops given by Ian Lynam.

Total Armageddon

A 400-page book of design theory edited by Ian Lynam.

The Thing

An 88-page booklet that examines thorny aspects of design, designers, and design history.

“Working with Ian is a dream! He is able to take a few half-formed thoughts from our end and turn them into brilliant design that eloquently communicates the identity we aim to project. He has an amazing ability of knowing exactly what you need with only the slightest amount of information. He treats each project with the utmost attention and care and is always quick to respond to changes with an open and generous mind. We couldn’t imagine working with anyone else!”

– Gretchen Hogue

Portland Documentary & eXperimental Film Fest

Visual Strategies for the Apocalypse

A 112-page booklet about overcoming “Creative Constipation™.”

Teaching at Temple University Japan

Ian Lynam is faculty at Temple University’s NASAD-accredited Japan Campus.

“Ian Lynam likes thinking about design as much as making it. Luckily for us, he also likes writing about it that much too. The payoff: he is amazing at all three.”

– Shawn Seymour

Lullatone

Custom typefaces

We have designed a wide range of custom typefaces for assorted companies—from display faces to text families.

Slanted #31 – Tokyo

We both edited and are featured in Slanted Magazine's latest issue devoted to graphic design in Tokyo.

“Ian is always the first person I go to when need design help. Besides being an aesthetic genius, he is unrelenting in his commitment to portraying the right image for my brands. Top all of that off with a heavy dose of flexibility and professionalism and you end up with not only first-class designs, but an overall experience that ends up feeling more like fun than work.”

– Jeffrey Wescott

Change.org

Canard

We designed the identity for Canard, Portland's latest culinary phenomenon.

The Design of Manga, Anime & Light Novels

A book about the design of Japanese character culture.

Biwa and Biwa Display typeface family by Ian Lynam

Biwa & Biwa Display

Biwa is a straight-sided family of formally nuanced grotesk typefaces for text typesetting and display work for both print and screen.

“The best kept secret in Japan. Encyclopedic in his knowledge of typography and all things beautifully considered. There are few men in Tokyo — nay, the world — that care more about design and the creative process as does Ian Lynam. Oh, and he’s the nicest guy you’ll meet.”

– Craig Mod

DriveHokkaido webiste by Ian Lynam Design

Drive Hokkaido!

A website devoted to tourism in northern Japan.

Cannibals. by Ian Lynam - a book on graphic design

Cannibals.

A handbook of dubious exercises, tips, and rants about becoming a designer who teaches... (But just as much a handbook for designers who happen to be being taught.)

Ian Lynam Slouching Towards Delphi exhibition

Slouching Towards Delphi

A series of installations spanning sound, found objects, narrative, and type design.

“Eschewing the shortsighted practical nature of much graphic design-oriented writing, Lynam focuses on demythologizing contemporary graphic design – opening up a new horizon of discourse both East and West.”

– Kiyonori Muroga

Idea Magazine

99+1 Ian Lynam Design JNTO

99+1: Traveling Through Art, Design & Architecture

99+1 is a book and responsive website for the Japanese National Tourism Organization.

Kurokura

We worked to define the identity of craft sake brand Kurokura.

Start Somewhere - A Handbook of Dubious Exercises, Tips and Rants About Becoming a Designer Who Writes

Start Somewhere

Start Somewhere: A Handbook of Dubious Exercises, Tips and Rants About Becoming a Designer Who Writes is a zine to help designers grapple with generating their own content.

“In all our collaborations, Ian has always brought a fresh perspective and boundless energy to the project. His encyclopedic knowledge of visual culture, ability to quickly work through multiple concepts, and deep Rolodex of talented friends, also give us the confidence to move beyond our first idea, towards a final product that will surprise and delight our clients.”

– Chris Palmieri

AQ

Temple University Japan rebranding by Ian Lynam Design

Temple University Japan

We designed the branding, signage and interior design for Temple University Japan's main building Azabu Hall.

Modes of Criticism

Ian writes for Modes of Criticism.

Red Bull Music Academy

Writing the history of design for music.

“Ian is an empire, a fanfare, a circus.

While most designers are accomplished at walking and chewing gum—the equivalent in graphic design terms of InDesign mastery while thinking conceptually—Ian does backflips of writing and publishing, walks the tightrope of research, and performs the acrobatics of teaching, all while stilt-walking an expansive terrain of graphic design practice… and all this while adeptly juggling platters of diverse knowledge that include history, theory, philosophy, humanities, and the gamut of pop culture.

But most of all Ian is accomplished at generously sharing himself and his many gifts with his whole heart. And this is why, simply, we love him.”

– Louise Sandhaus

author of Earthquakes Mudslides Fires & Riots, CalArts

Ian Lynam and Kiyonori Muroga of Idea Magazine at Brno Biennial

27th Brno Biennial Study Room

Curation, lecture, writing and editing for the legendary Czech series of exhibitions.

Interior graphic design for Pivotal and Pivotal Labs by Ian Lynam Design in Tokyo.

Pivotal Tokyo Offices

Interior graphics for software innovator Pivotal's Tokyo offices.

Species Regret by Ian Lynam

Species Regret

An exhibition of writing, installation and sound in Tokyo.

“Ian instantly captivated the room when he came to speak with my design students at Portland State University. He was all of the elements that one would want in a presenter: thoughtful, funny, relevant, organized, passionate, articulate and relatable. Most of all, the entire room walked away with new knowledge. Score! PSU loves Ian!”

– Kate Bingaman Burt

Portland State University

Wecome to Forest Island by Bwana Spoons designed by Ian Lynam in Tokyo.

Welcome to Forest Island

Editorial direction and book design for Portland artist Bwana Spoons' first monograph.

thats_entertainment_ian_lynam-7

That’s Entertainment!

A hybrid exhibition and essay-as-website exploring the role of graphic designers and design criticism in the world market economy.

Space_Academy_Christchurch_identity-03

Space Academy

Identity for Space Academy, an event space in Christchurch, New Zealand.

“Ian instantly captivated the room when he came to speak with my design students at Portland State University. He was all of the elements that one would want in a presenter: thoughtful, funny, relevant, organized, passionate, articulate and relatable. Most of all, the entire room walked away with new knowledge. Score! PSU loves Ian!”

– Kate Bingaman Burt

Portland State University

IDEA | アイデア

Ian Lynam regularly writes, designs, and edits features for IDEA / アイデア, Japan's oldest and most innovative graphic design magazine.

Slanted

Writing for Slanted, the inimitable German magazine on typography and visual culture.

Whole Foods "Values Matter" campaign typeface design by Ian Lynam Design

Whole Foods “Values Matter”

Type design for the North American supermarket chain.

“Working with Ian is a dream! He is able to take a few half-formed thoughts from our end and turn them into brilliant design that eloquently communicates the identity we aim to project. He has an amazing ability of knowing exactly what you need with only the slightest amount of information. He treats each project with the utmost attention and care and is always quick to respond to changes with an open and generous mind. We couldn’t imagine working with anyone else!”

– Gretchen Hogue

Portland Documentary & eXperimental Film Fest

Arts Excursions Unlimited

Holistic identity design for a public arts initiative.

Parting It Out by Ian Lynam

Parting It Out

Ian went and wrote a book about graphic design. 78,209 words about it, but who's counting? It has a die-cut paper slipcover, a fabric paper-backed inner slipcover, and split fountain printing.

Google Tokyo Offices Interior Design

Google Tokyo Offices

We designed the interior graphic design scheme for Google's Tokyo offices, as well as all wayfinding and signage.

“The best kept secret in Japan. Encyclopedic in his knowledge of typography and all things beautifully considered. There are few men in Tokyo — nay, the world — that care more about design and the creative process as does Ian Lynam. Oh, and he’s the nicest guy you’ll meet.”

– Craig Mod

Adobe Typekit Ian Lynam Design

Adobe Typekit CJK Specimen

A custom bilingual Japanese/English website highlighting Typekit's Asian webfont support.

Identity and environmental design for Le Comptoir Occitan

Le Comptoir Occitan

Identity and environmental design for a Basque restaurant in the Daikanyama district of Tokyo.

YACHT identity by Ian Lynam Design

YACHT

We've created a number of different design projects for our pals in the band YACHT, including their identity, apparel, and custom typefaces.

“The best kept secret in Japan. Encyclopedic in his knowledge of typography and all things beautifully considered. There are few men in Tokyo — nay, the world — that care more about design and the creative process as does Ian Lynam. Oh, and he’s the nicest guy you’ll meet.”

– Craig Mod

VCFA MFA in Graphic Design

VCFA MFA in Graphic Design

Ian Lynam is former faculty and Chair/Co-Chair of the MFA in Graphic Design Program at Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Design and typography for Northwest Passage, a book and CD about independent music from Portland, Oregon published by The Dill Pickle Club. Portland, Oregon

Northwest Passage

Design and typography for Northwest Passage, a book and CD about independent music from Portland, Oregon.

Type Sketcher is a trio of type design sketchbooks with modular grids for designing letterforms.

TypeSketcher

Type Sketcher is a trio of type design sketchbooks with modular grids for designing letterforms.

“Working with Ian is a dream! He is able to take a few half-formed thoughts from our end and turn them into brilliant design that eloquently communicates the identity we aim to project. He has an amazing ability of knowing exactly what you need with only the slightest amount of information. He treats each project with the utmost attention and care and is always quick to respond to changes with an open and generous mind. We couldn’t imagine working with anyone else!”

– Gretchen Hogue

Portland Documentary & eXperimental Film Fest

Sailors Singapore by Ian Lynam Design

Sailors

We designed the identity for a new Singapore-based communication agency.

Identity for San Francisco-based swimwear company, Saga.

Saga Swimwear

Identity and art direction for San Francisco swimwear company.

Nike Train To Win by Ian Lynam

Nike “Train to Win”

Product line book and DVD for Nike’s Asia Pacific region.

“Working with Ian Lynam offers unparalleled creativity and client focus. Whether designing for a global search company or a university garden institution, Ian knows how to uncover clients’ often unstated needs, and then design something unique and compelling. Ian is a maker, an educator, and an inspiring person to work with.”

– Jared Braiterman, PhD

Social Models LLC

Lesque Skateboards by Ian Lynam

Lesque Skateboards

Art direction for Japanese skateboard company.

Konexi by Ian Lynam Design

Konexi

Modular 3D type design for the board game Konexi.

Huis Ten Bosch by Ian Lynam Design

Huis Ten Bosch

We created the branding and design consulting for the latest wing of the Nagasaki amusement park.

“Ian is an honest, simply-brilliant, graphic designer with skills and talent in abundance with the flexibility to adapt to meet and exceed a client’s need and did so each time we worked with him. He is a pleasure to collaborate with I would recommend him to anyone with confidence.”

– Joseph Keating

Klein Dytham architecture

YouTube Space Tokyo

We created the interior graphic design scheme for YouTube's Tokyo offices and creative studio.

Topsy by Ian Lynam

Topsy

We created the identity for Topsy, the Apple-acquired search engine for Twitter.

Design for The Clone Returns Home film

The Clone Returns Home

Identity for the Wim Wenders and Kanji Nakajima film.

“Working with Ian Lynam offers unparalleled creativity and client focus. Whether designing for a global search company or a university garden institution, Ian knows how to uncover clients’ often unstated needs, and then design something unique and compelling. Ian is a maker, an educator, and an inspiring person to work with.”

– Jared Braiterman, PhD

Social Models LLC

Posters by Ed Fella and Ian Lynam

Poster Initiative

A set of 4 collaborative posters created with fellow designer Ed Fella.

PechaKucha Night identity

PechaKucha Night

We designed the identity for the iconic global design event series.

NASA Exhibition Design by Ian Lynam

NASA Hubble Telescope

We created the identity and advertising campaign for NASA and The Washington County Museum‘s 2012/2013 exhibition Hubble Space Telescope: New Views of the Universe.

“Lynam is a bitingly humorous writer – gifted with the intuition to give stories depth. This is no accident as he writes from experience – a reading pleasure!”

– Lars Harmsen

Slanted

Identity design for Le Pigeon and LittleBird

Le Pigeon & Little Bird

Identities for two of Portland, Oregon's iconic restaurants.

Letterfirm, an exhibition of international expressive typography

Letterfirm

An exhibition of international expressive typography curated by Ian Lynam.

LACMA Study Day

LACMA Study Day

Assisting the Los Angeles Country Museum of Art define their vision for curating a collection of Japanese Graphic Design.

“Working with Ian is a dream! He is able to take a few half-formed thoughts from our end and turn them into brilliant design that eloquently communicates the identity we aim to project. He has an amazing ability of knowing exactly what you need with only the slightest amount of information. He treats each project with the utmost attention and care and is always quick to respond to changes with an open and generous mind. We couldn’t imagine working with anyone else!”

– Gretchen Hogue

Portland Documentary & eXperimental Film Fest

Kimbo plug-in for Adobe Illustrator

Kimbo

Our plug-in for Adobe Illustrator which adds 13 new tools to Illustrator's tool palette.

Ten printed tour guides for the Kanto region of Japan

Kanto Tour Guide

A set of ten tour guides of the Kanto region, each by a prominent foreign member of the Tokyo community for Shibaura House.

Joshu + Vela identity

Joshu + Vela

Identity design for the San Francisco bag and accessory company Joshu + Vela.

“Ian Lynam is a visionary designer, forcing us to challenge our assumptions about what design is, and what it can do. He constantly invites us to imagine new modes of inquiry, and makes a case for design as a fundamental way of knowing, and communicating, the world around us.”

– Thomas Christopher Greene

author of The Headmaster's Wife

IDEA X CalArts

IDEA #360

A 96-page feature about CalArts' Graphic Design Department for IDEA.

Tokyo luxury event company BeBespoke

Assorted identity projects

Identity is our ethos―the fundamental character of a culture, individual, business or community.

Identity design for Portland, Oregon's Bitna Chung Photography

Bitna Chung Photography

We created a decorative, highly tactile print identity for the amazing Portland, Oregon photographer Bitna Chung.

“Ian is an honest, simply-brilliant, graphic designer with skills and talent in abundance with the flexibility to adapt to meet and exceed a client’s need and did so each time we worked with him. He is a pleasure to collaborate with I would recommend him to anyone with confidence.”

– Joseph Keating

Klein Dytham architecture

Field Office Films Identity Design

Field Office Films

Identity for the director behind the opening sequence for the TV show True Blood.

Identity for BeBespoke, Tokyo's Experience Atelier

BeBespoke

Identity design for Tokyo-based Experience Atelier.

tokyo fashion week by ian lynam design

Tokyo Fashion Week

We created the identity for Tokyo Fashion Week.

“Ian is pragmatic and effective in creating beautiful cultural products, and a pleasure to work with. He found amazing nuggets of graphic design and typography in our corporate archives, and turned them into amazing contemporary assets. He’s comfortable doing things himself, as well as at finding relevant partners, and has consistently shown a great level of initiative.”

– Raphaël Mazoyer

ASICS / Onitsuka Tiger

Design and typography for the Portland Documentary and eXperimental Film Festival (PDX Film Fest). Portland, Oregon

PDX Film Fest

Design and typography for the Portland Documentary and eXperimental Film Festival (PDX Film Fest). Portland, Oregon.

Blunt Mechanic “World Record”

LP, CD and promotional materials for Barsuk Records.

“Lynam is a bitingly humorous writer – gifted with the intuition to give stories depth. This is no accident as he writes from experience – a reading pleasure!”

– Lars Harmsen

Slanted

The Potential of Web Typography

The very first specimen of fonts for the web!

Open Skateboards

I used to own a skateboard company.

“Ian’s a sharpshooter. We had some identity issues that needed a pro and he took to heart our long-winded descriptions of all things we were trying to evoke. He returned with a thorough identity presentation that struck an exquisite balance of all that things that swirled around in our heads. It made us look in the mirror and think, “Yeah, thats who we are!”

– Trevor Fife

Field Office Films

Upswell

Identity for Portland, Oregon technology studio

Parallel Strokes

2008 book on the cross-section of type design, graffiti, lettering, and sign painting.

PingMag

Writing for Japan's first design blog

“Eschewing the shortsighted practical nature of much graphic design-oriented writing, Lynam focuses on demythologizing contemporary graphic design – opening up a new horizon of discourse both East and West.”

– Kiyonori Muroga

Idea Magazine