Tag Archives: Tokyo

Today I met Miho Tanaka of Three White Design. Miho studied at the Royal College of Art and returned to Tokyo in 2000 with in interesting objective – to set up a Japanese graphic design studio modelled on a London one.

As I mentioned in my post about TYO-ID roughly 90% of Tokyo design studios work through the two main advertising agencies here. Miho gained experience in this area and whilst she did some excellent, high profile work she found the need to communicate directly with the client too important to operate as, effectively, a third party.

Miho’s experience in London was moulded by her involvement with a Japanese/English arts magazine called ‘Exposure’. She still works with some of the people she met on this publication and cites the experience of working closely with the writers and editors – of a real collaboration between verbal and visual thinkers – as something that has driven her direct and selective approach.

Miho’s ‘life’s work’, as she describes it, is photographing Taxi Drivers around the world and has exhibited this collection extensively. She is currently most excited by Three White’s involvement with two Japanese sweet and cake companies and she sees a role for them as a promoter of Japanese food culture, an area she is passionate about. Talking of which we had a delicious lunch of sour fried pork and pumpkin after our show and tell session!

I also met Miho’s intern Karin Kunori who is studying at RISD under the auspicious tutelage of John Maeda. She told me that he hosts regular early morning jogging sessions with his students and local entrepreneurs in Rhode Island. Karin goes – she’s a smart and dynamic girl – so much so she even beat me to today’s write up!