Fracture: Japanese Graphic Design 1875–1975

The definitive book about Japanese graphic design history.

“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

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.

Two Way Tie for Last

Finally! A shirt that you can read!

“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

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.

James Day Leavitt “Skylark”

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

“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.

Goldrush

Identities for twin businesses Goldrush Computing and Goldrush Studios

Stepdown

Identity for a new gallery in Hastings, New Zealand

Cooper Chrome Italic Pro

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

“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

Elpy

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

Ovice

Corporate identity for collaborative software corporation.

The Failed Painter

A book about art, design and culture.

“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

Min Min

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

The Nest

Two essays about design within one amazing book!

“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

Ipsum Alii

Corporate identity for a new Swiss skincare brand

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

“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

Corinthians Press 002: Zombie Somnambulence

The second installment of publications from Corinthians Press!

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.

“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

Kamawanu

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

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!

“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

Icelandic Japan

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

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

“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

Design & Consumerism of Modern Japan

A presentation about Japanese graphic design history

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 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

DOTA2 Radiance

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

“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

Plaid

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

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.

“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.

AXES Partners

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

Baseline Shift

Untold Stories of Women in Graphic Design History

Ouzuri

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

“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

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.

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

“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

Slanted #35 – Los Angeles

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

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.

“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

Critique: The War of Design

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

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.

“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

VCFA branding & marketing

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

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.

“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.

The Thing

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

Visual Strategies for the Apocalypse

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

“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

Teaching at Temple University Japan

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

Custom typefaces

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

“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

Slanted #31 – Tokyo

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

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.

“When it came time to announce Firefox’s adoption of the @font-face rule, we needed someone to create an integration demo that straddled both innovative code and a nuanced working knowledge of typography. Ian was the obvious choice- his knowledge of typography applied to print and screen helped create a piece of design that functioned as a working how-to demo, a critique of webfont deployment in its nascent stages and a compelling piece of writing.”

– Gen Kanai

Mozilla

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.

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.)

“When it came time to announce Firefox’s adoption of the @font-face rule, we needed someone to create an integration demo that straddled both innovative code and a nuanced working knowledge of typography. Ian was the obvious choice- his knowledge of typography applied to print and screen helped create a piece of design that functioned as a working how-to demo, a critique of webfont deployment in its nascent stages and a compelling piece of writing.”

– Gen Kanai

Mozilla

Ian Lynam Slouching Towards Delphi exhibition

Slouching Towards Delphi

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

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.

“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.

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.

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.

“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

Red Bull Music Academy

Writing the history of design for music.

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.

“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

Species Regret by Ian Lynam

Species Regret

An exhibition of writing, installation and sound in Tokyo.

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.

“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

Space_Academy_Christchurch_identity-03

Space Academy

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

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.

“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

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

Whole Foods “Values Matter”

Type design for the North American supermarket chain.

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.

“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

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.

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.

“Because Ian has the craft of design really down pat, he has moved on to other things like giving the client what they really want even if they don’t know what it is they want. This can not be understated, because as a designer myself I am looking to expand my projects with other peoples great ideas, and that takes having a farsighted partner like Ian. Besides actual graphics, Ian has helped steer Joshu+Vela branding, public image and even the naming of the company – for this I am grateful to have someone looking out for my best interests as well as his. I am continuing to count on Ian to steer my projects in a successful direction with all the twists and turns that come up.”

– Noah Guy

Joshu + Vela

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.

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.

“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

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.

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.

“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

Nike Train To Win by Ian Lynam

Nike “Train to Win”

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

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.

“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

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.

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.

“When it came time to announce Firefox’s adoption of the @font-face rule, we needed someone to create an integration demo that straddled both innovative code and a nuanced working knowledge of typography. Ian was the obvious choice- his knowledge of typography applied to print and screen helped create a piece of design that functioned as a working how-to demo, a critique of webfont deployment in its nascent stages and a compelling piece of writing.”

– Gen Kanai

Mozilla

Design for The Clone Returns Home film

The Clone Returns Home

Identity for the Wim Wenders and Kanji Nakajima film.

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.

“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

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.

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.

“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

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.

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.

“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

Joshu + Vela identity

Joshu + Vela

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

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.

“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

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.

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.

“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

tokyo fashion week by ian lynam design

Tokyo Fashion Week

We created the identity for Tokyo Fashion Week.

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.

“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

Blunt Mechanic “World Record”

LP, CD and promotional materials for Barsuk Records.

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