Artless is a creative collective based in Tokyo. Established by Shun Kawakami in 2000 as the commercial vehicle for his creative output, it upholds “design as a visual language” with the conscious intention to bridge the gap between “art and design”. Flexibility is vital to its structure as Kawakami is able to draft in specific collaborators to fulfil his vision for each project, moving between art, print and interaction design with ease. Inspired by traditional Japanese craft such as flower arranging, bonsai and calligraphy, Kawakami is dedicated to translating his national identity into the modern creative context. He is motivated by the varied impressions this culturally driven aesthetic leaves on an international audience. As an exercise in refined balance, the results are innovative and appeal to a broad range of people.
Kawakami thrives on the fashion industry’s continuous demands for creative innovation and high production values. A natural enthusiasm for its products and respect for how they are created stimulates his interest in fashion. “I think fashion affects the mind of the individual.” This personal connection motivates his creativity as he is simultaneously designer and audience. “Maybe... I sympathize with their creative sensitivity.” Engaged with the product and always investing personally in a project, Kawakami offers his clients wide-ranging expertise, from an independent perspective. “I think the graphic designer needs to be a doctor, translator and chef.”
Established in 1970, Issey Miyake has remained at the forefront of progressive fashion design through the refined simplicity of his silhouette, which blends function with contemporary technological innovation. Research, experimentation and development have been vital features of his success and are equally important in Artless’s practice. While their disciplines are separate, this similarity of creative process provides immediate common ground between client and designer. Initially briefed for the redesign of the Issey Miyake website in 2006 – Kawakami’s strong understanding of the core values of the label has seen his involvement increase.
After the original commission, it was a logical extension for Artless to develop a range of packaging unique to the online shopping experience. Kawakami admits to being offered limited instructions that amounted to a purely functional requirement: “The brief was very simple, to use www.isseymiyake.com.” With the mutual confidence engendered by an established relationship, Kawakami was granted complete creative freedom to interpret the challenge. With a natural ability to refine the message, Kawakami transformed the structure of the domain into the central concept. The innovative typographic treatment is, in fact, derived from the punctuation marks and slashes associated with web domains. The appropriation of this onto raw, corrugated cardboard reinforces the pure, functional aesthetic of the concept.
For Kawakami, intuition plays an important part in his process; spontaneous moments of inspiration drive the direction of his projects in a practical way. He looks for new connections and interchanges between his interests and those of collaborators and clients. He believes his role as designer is to interpret the creative thoughts of his clients. Rather than collaborating conventionally, he takes responsibility for what he does, and responds best when he is granted the freedom to explore his own interpretation of the task in hand. Personally engaged with his work, in his practice Kawakami attempts to achieve a sense of longevity that extends beyond seasonal trends.
To cater for potential variation in size of each order the boxes were produced in three sizes.