SANDERSON BOB for YUTAKA TAJIMA
While building a reputation as a prolific talent at leading design studios, Bob Sanderson produced an increasing range of independent creative projects until they began to demand his full attention. It was then a natural progression to establish his eponymous studio in 2004. His infectious enthusiasm for creativity translates into the use of visually arresting, high-impact graphics and colour. Sanderson embraces the collective strength of collaboration and has built an extensive network of creatives through Yutaka Tajima.
One year prior to starting his studio, Sanderson launched Yutaka Tajima, a side project and his pursuit of more creative freedom. More than a T-shirt label, it was intended to initiate collaboration with a vast range of people. “To create something free from preconceived ideas,” says Sanderson. Having developed a simple geometric ‘Y’ logo, the brand undergoes continual and wholesale change as contributors are invited to interpret the basic mark. Sanderson is eager to receive visual, conceptual or even mathematical translations of the form, the project is a true blank canvas. “We make T-shirts with one colour ink and one logo. It just depends on what people turn it into. That is the simple parameters of it.” From this common starting point the options are endless. Initially a casual exercise predominately supported by close friends, through the open submission process Yutaka Tajima has expanded organically and remains self-sufficient.
As a fashion label Yutaka Tajima is a literal branding exercise, shifting the focus and creativity from the product solely onto the logo. While conventional logos tend to shout their allegiance, the abstraction of this message lends to a more subtle approach. It is an open concept, free from structure and restrictions, a fluctuating idea for everyone to interpret in their own way. “Some people have made the logo into a character while others have absolutely obliterated it until quite unrecognizable. We believe this variation actually strengthens the original brand.” Due to the dependence on contributions there is an implied collective ownership of Yutaka Tajima. Profits are shared with the original logo designer, reinforcing the project as a vehicle of creative expression rather than commercial gain. Without financial obligations there is no pressure to generate sales, allowing the focus to remain on creative exploration.
More than a single logo, Sanderson is building a visual archive of the brand. “When you get to 50 or 60 and you can see the different variations, the parameters really change. With increased volume, the depth of the ideas is really endless.” To this effect, repetition of ideas is actually a positive way of revealing similarities and sub-categories. Sanderson intends to document the process with a series of books and actually considers this the ultimate goal of the project. Only when considered as a collective whole will these publications reveal the true value of the exercise.
The usual concerns of shifting social trends or brand stagnation are completely irrelevant; longevity will only add further complexity and innovation to the message. In contrast to general practice, Yutaka Tajima is in a constant state of invention, resisting all form of creative control. Rather than graphic designer or fashion designer, Sanderson functions as a facilitator. By subverting conventional branding practice, Sanderson has inadvertently built a tremendously solid and progressive brand with loyal supporters. The result offers insight into commercial brand evolution and innovation where the logo contributes to the message rather than simply function as the anchor.
The true beauty of the Yutaka Tajima branding is its variability. The larger central logo represents the original form that has been repeatedly interpreted. The basic instructions are: 1 Colour – Pantone Solid 289. The ‘Y’ can be an integral part or a small detail of the overall design. Final artwork can be 300dpi or vector-based. Designers from left to right, top to bottom: Jethro Haynes, Alexander Bettler, Julian Morey, Jethro Haynes, Carl Burgess, James Goggin, HORT, Bygg Studio, original logo by Sanderson Bob, Chris Bolton, Nicola Pecoraro, Will Bryant, Lars Morell, David Rule, Ian Lyman, Jethro Haynes, Eric Ellis, Maxim Zhestkov, Henrik Nygren Design.