ikigai magazine project

Ikigai Magazine is a speculative digital and print design publication based off of the Japanese word 'Ikigai'.

This issue explores the origins of type and contains articles by Kenya Hara & Ellen Lupton.
Ikigai Magazine Covers
Ikigai Magazine spread
Close up of Ikigai Magazine spread
Ikigai Magazine Covers
ikigai magazine

Ikigai
(生き甲斐)

Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means 'a reason for being.'

The cover uses a kinegram effect to 'animate' as the belly band is moved.

A similar technique is used in the inside spread using a sleeve to convey the message in two languages.

ikigai magazine

The effect translates well to digital formats, but it looks even better in print.

For this task a magazine name was decided on, and then both a cover and several inside spreads were designed to fit an A4 format. It uses the belly band surrounding the cover to create a kinegram effect, turning the letter 'k' into the kanji symbol for water – the fusion of eastern and western letterforms is a theme touched on in the article, and the cover was an attempt to capture that concept.

Dealing with all the different paper stocks as well as the physicality of binding was the biggest challenge, particularly the spread with the shifting insert (which was done by making my own envelope and sandwiching a acetate sheet inside).