Sweets and Rubbish

HELLO!WEEN

2011-10-18T02:15:00.001+09:00

Designed a poster for the coming halloween event 'HELLO!WEEN' in MARUIKE HOUSE.

I took charge for make whole process, such layout design, making images and typography.

The image of the illustration is 'monsters come from MARUIKE HOUSE' as the house itself is really old and some says she saw a real one..

for more info about the event, check this link.

Black and white in red.

2011-09-29T01:10:00.004+09:00

Now I really understand why this chinese bear is loved by almost everyone.

Their pure behaviour make people naturally smile.

old film

2011-09-22T19:01:00.000+09:00

made a logo and illustration for my commission work but they haven't been taken this time..

Hey I will be a bow tie maker.

2011-06-06T01:37:00.003+09:00

Currently I'm making bow tie-like brooches.
These are unisexed products and both boys and girls can put on thier breast.
It will be super lovely a couple share one tie and sometimes it become the cause of their squabble.. 'today is my turn to put it!" "No, I will go to school with it!" How lovely.
The material is mostly scrap of cloth and this is fine eco friendly products!

I love to make combination of cloths and I won't make same combination.

All products are only one in this world.

Someday I would love to make genuine English bow tie with regard to my love UK!

最近は蝶ネクタイを作っています。

女子がつけても、男子がつけても可愛いものが作りたい。

カップルが日替わりでつけたり、取り合いしたり。なんと素敵な光景。

こちらの蝶ネクタイ（風のブローチ)、ハギレで出来ています。まさにエコ。

布と布の組み合わせやサイズがそれぞれ違い、同じものは二度と作らない、というか作れない。

いつか英国紳士が付けてるような立派蝶ネクタイを作るのが夢。

tete/new studio with a small weekend shop

2011-06-06T01:12:00.003+09:00

I and my old friends established a new design studio "tete" in Komagome, North Tokyo.
As tete, we make 100% handmade goods from accessaries to bag and etc,.
It become a small shop on every Sunday. Our studio is located in the ex-old old apartment house named "MARUIKE HOUSE" which is lately renovated as the house of studios or small shops like ours. There are a cafe with gallery space, stationary shop, record shop and etc,.
The building is in the ordinary residence area, and at first I was just wondering who comes here... but people come. I love this fact.
Some of the shops are still under construction though, we're opening as shop from 19th June. Come and see our products!

友人と、teteという作業場を兼ねた小さな雑貨店を始めました。
お店は日曜のお昼から夕方まで、6月19日より営業開始予定。
場所は東京の北、駒込。巣鴨のお隣。なぜこんなところに、、と誰しもが思うと思いますが、なかなか駒込はいいところです。
teteが入居するMARUIKE HOUSEは元ボロアパート、現在はカフェやら文房具屋さんやらが入る集合アトリエ＋ショップのようなものです。どのお店も入居者自ら改装工事を行い、手作り感たっぷりでいいかんじです。
駒込の景勝地・六義園の帰りにでも是非寄ってみてください。

tete

http://we-are-tete.blogspot.com/

114-0014

東京都北区田端4-3-3 MARUIKE HOUSE205

205 MARUIKE HOUSE, 4-3-3 Tabata, Kita-ku, Tokyo, Japan 114-0014

→地図はこちら

→MARUIKE HOUSE

oxox

2011-05-19T21:41:00.002+09:00

this is the lucky happening.
oxox.
makes me happy tiny bit.

monsters.

2011-02-06T23:08:00.002+09:00

idea for the next halloween

i bought this oxford shoes in oxford street.

2011-02-06T22:48:00.000+09:00

fetishist.

2011-02-06T22:32:00.001+09:00

so what are you obsessed by?

colours of the mountain.

2011-02-06T22:11:00.000+09:00

spring.
summer.
autumn.
winter.

was like a turtle last year so must be a rabbit this year.

2011-01-17T01:32:00.008+09:00

happy new year dear all!

rabbit is the year of 2011 in chinese astrology.

be playful, be pretty as rabbit is!

and, sorry for this really really slow up-dating...

i was like a turtle so must be a rabbit this year.

my resolution of this year should be more and more creative+keep constant up-dating!

hope you all will have super happy year of 2011.

aki makita from tokyo

things he gave me before

2010-11-14T23:55:00.003+09:00

drew this image with inspiration by JITTERIN'JINN's song "present".
This song tells a story about all of present which a girl was given from her ex-boyfriend.
So what will she found after she left from him? objects with beautiful memory?

work in progress

2010-11-01T00:24:00.000+09:00

*inspiration from ethnology

*needles.

a church in Greenland

2010-11-01T00:23:00.000+09:00

my wonderland, Greenland.

black katt

2010-11-01T00:22:00.000+09:00

bunch of hair

2010-11-01T00:19:00.001+09:00

hair

2010-10-25T01:10:00.002+09:00

you are an artist who make artwork with your hair.

the basis of creation

2010-08-16T00:04:00.004+09:00

made a flyer artwork for a club event called "Republic x Envelop" at WOMB, Tokyo.
By request form the client to make "psychedelic and cosmic image", i made an image of "a tree makes everything" .

hana

2010-07-22T01:20:00.002+09:00

i always amazed by their perfection. their colour, figure, beauty, accidental etc etc etc.

a year passed

2010-07-03T02:45:00.012+09:00

A year passed from graduation of my uni.
it was so quick to come here this point, i still cannot believe with everything i have done in London.
Did i really hand-in the long 7,000 words of writing? Did i really make everything for final projects in the tight schedule?
Did i? Did i? DId i???
Now Im back in calm, and look back to my london life. I still feel like i was in dream, london is my wonderland.
that four years student life was unforgettable term in my life. never never and never.
and now let me look at my current situation.
am i doing what i wanted? am i create enough? am i still growing up?
different things from before i can say are, yes i got fat, i eat a lot, i have got many spots on my face, forgetting how to speak English, doing design stuffs as a job and fighting with technology everyday, and i don't think things seriously much. mmm are they all positive meaning to me?
let's look back a year later and ask me same question again. What will i reply to this?

night walk drawings

2010-07-03T02:29:00.004+09:00

i love walking after work in dark, this early summer season is the best for that!
people's faces are happy on the streets and quite good for new shops or cafe discovery.
my office is in Aoyama, and usually i walk till Harajuku or sometimes Shinjuku if i feel like to walk for long.
My favourite area is Sendagaya and Shinjukugyoen, somehow i feel im in an ethnic town or passed period (60-70s!) when im around there. also love to have a short brake at a cafe with iced coffee and draw what i see through the journey.
I see many different faces of tokyo huge city by useing my eyes and foot!

tezukuri ichi, the hand craft market

2010-07-03T01:48:00.003+09:00

js joined Tezukuri-ichi which is one of the biggest hand-craft market in tokyo and held in the site of old shrine!
First of all we need to go and worship at a main building of the shrine, it's the official rule of the market, so nice!
This time I sold pins made of pieces of wood with colourful animal motif stamps. I quite like the idea of this product and material.
It was nice to meet many people with different feedbacks, these always give me motivation for creativity.
love to have a stall at this sort of market very soon!

numbers

2010-07-03T01:40:00.003+09:00

made numbers 0 to 9 by stamp with different shape each.
found that i can make patterns by them, will do experimentation later later. looking forward doing that!

Share the space, share the good time together with your family

2010-05-30T02:50:00.002+09:00

I designed a poster work for Konica Minolta's poster exhibition.
The theme is "eco action at home".
My concept for the final piece is "Share the same space with your family altogether is the best action for the eco-activity.
You could save extra electricity and also have the pleasures of a happy home as you share the space and time together.
We care about eco things too fussily, and it seems forgetting its essence I guess. Lets look back to the basis, and reconfirm the reason why we do eco-activity for our happy future!

*

The poster exhibition
@Digital imaging square,
4th floor Shinagawa grand central tower

the nearest station is Shinagawa, JR Yamanote line
28 May-
13.00-17.00

http://www.creco.biz/topics/PEXHIBITION0506ol.pdf

Thanks for visiting us at design festa!

2010-05-19T00:49:00.007+09:00

"design festa", the biggest independent designer's exhibition, was held at Tokyo big sight last weekend.
Me and my friends joined it as "js", a design group, and we exhibited and also sold our handmade craft works.
We had good feedback from visitors, and receiving these kind of responses make huge motivation for creation. Feeling like getting out from my own space. Yes, I will keep going making my favourite works as I come and go between my world to the real world.

here to visit to the js website

art of fruit

2010-04-20T23:43:00.004+09:00

i went to an eco friedly event a few days ago, and bought a japanese orange fruit from one of the organic stalls.
i don't like citrus fruits though the salesperson said "this is the sweet one", but actually not. ...so i made marmalade by the fruit.
it took a bit of time though the taste of the jam is very soft and tasty bitter. mmm i would be into food creation!

One and one make two, two and one make three

2010-04-16T00:31:00.003+09:00

Numbers of petal make a beautiful flower.
Yes, a tiny action links to the next thing, and small things would be the big good outcome.

Typography and タイポグラフィ

2010-04-15T23:04:00.005+09:00

I work in a web design studio in Tokyo now. I do graphic design there and just sadly realised how I am useless.
I did typo in uni but I don't know anything about its system even basic knowledge. Shameful!
Anyway. I just found out the difference between English typo and Japanese one.

Let's talk about English one for the first.
I see English typo as objects. I don't read the content of articles much, just reading head copies and I get small information.
So it is mush easy to arrange the layout than Japanese one.
The English alphabet has just 26 letters, and this small numbers have actually huge diversity and possibility.
The beautiful and perfect figure of alphabet is freedom. It changes its shape to anything.
The English alphabet is simple, therefore the meaning of the word--which is constructed by alphabet--would be the most important element in typography.

Next is Japanese typo.
Japanese letters are difficult to compose, I feel.
basically Japanese has three alphabets, 50 letters each in KATAKANA and HIRAGANA and also countless chinese characters...
Therefore it is almost impossible to make new font by ourselves and quite tiny numbers of fonts are installed in computer.
KATAKANA has very smooth shape but KATAKANA is solid. Chinese character is very complicated and chaos. Also It gives serious image to readers. So....three different alphabets are too much characteristic.
Personally I feel handwriting is the best for Japanese typo. Especially elderly people's. Their traditional writings are very beautiful and emotional. I think this is kind of the answer for Japanese typo as the emotional language.

Typography is mysterious. Old-fashion but modern and contemporary.
It has wide range of its history with traditional method, but still gives fresh air in the graphic design area.
Words gives imagination without visible images. It actually requires us to have imagination by ourselves.
So I love typo and never get bored!

spring time

2010-04-10T00:00:00.000+09:00

what human see beyond the fence.

2010-04-09T23:43:00.000+09:00

JS's new website has been launched

2010-04-08T00:48:00.009+09:00

I join a design group called "jestsquip" which was established in 2003 by friends and myself.
We have been making handmade bags and small stuffs and selling on our own website.
After moving in London, I couldn't join such much, but I'm back now and we will start new projects at js (this is the new name!).

We will join in Design festival in May to exhibit new works and also to celebrate for the re-establishment as js!

check below the new website!

http://www.js-design-hub.com/index_top.html

squares

2010-03-10T14:21:00.000+09:00

my obsession!

Random

2010-03-08T17:43:00.003+09:00

"cats"

"a bunch of rapes"

"necklace"

Inspired from nature.

2010-03-07T18:30:00.005+09:00

"snow dance"
the triangle shape is inspired from an icicle, and the colour selection is from feeling or atmosphere in winter time.
the air of winter time is chilly outside(=gray) but warm inside(=yellow), and also feeling melancholy(=purple).

"cocoons of silkworms"
white silkworms would make beautiful strings and be coloured sometimes.

"a change of leaves"
Leaves turn their colour green, yellow and brown. This colour combination seems like progress of live and death.

tree tree and tree

2010-03-06T02:33:00.001+09:00

when i see the naked trees on the street in winter time, i just sometimes imagine drawing flowers on them in my mind.
and I just hope spring comes soon.

Pattern design

2010-03-04T19:04:00.001+09:00

made some pattern design by stamps.

an old old sketchbook!

2010-03-03T16:59:00.005+09:00

I found my old sketchbook from a storage!
Through reading it, I just remember the moment of drawing with enjoyment.
The choice,---Choosing colour and the objects or subjects that I draw---reflects my mind.
Art is always honest.

ah, yeah, my tendency for drawing hasn't been changed such much!

colourful!

2010-03-02T22:16:00.001+09:00

just drew fruits and painted in multi-colours.
just found the beauty of the circle shape from nature.

The third eye, the fourth eye, the fifth eye....

2010-02-25T19:31:00.003+09:00

Camera which see the colourful world

I bought an old German camera when I was 18, and took pictures of funny moments.
Since I got the first camera, I bought several type of cameras. Toy cameras, a half-camera, polaroid camera and digital cameras.. each of them has character and the different colour, and this is printed on the picture itself.
I see interesting that the colour of air is different by cities. The image of night in London is Orange night light, Tokyo is greenish dark blue, and Spanish sky is smoky yellowish blue. I see this world is beautifully colourful.

Travel diary

2010-02-25T19:19:00.003+09:00

Travel diary

I traveled around Europe for a month in 2005 and it was the first time to travel by myself.
I packed a empty sketch book and colour pencils in my backpack and kept a travel diary.
It was just for killing time as I was alone and had much enough time to keep it especially when I was waiting for a coach or train. I collect train tickets and museum tickets, flyers and receipts for collage and stick them with drawings on the pages.
This is much better than taking pictures as I started to observe things carefully, for example details of buildings or artworks in the museums.
Since then, i always bring the diary when I go for a travel and this became like my lifework.

My name is, 2

2010-02-25T18:55:00.002+09:00

I did shooting of my typo work at home.
I made the typography with multi colour which is just filled randomly, and it became like showing my personality.
I just thought this is like my room.
I think your personal space (room, studio etc,.) reflects your personality and character like a mirror.
My room is full of my favourite things and it's obviously in multicolour as you see the pictures of the room.
Anyway it's cosy for me!

she is the primitive source of my creativity

2010-02-02T19:42:00.003+09:00

I remember, that the little kitty was always beside me when I was a kid. She came to me as a dress-up doll for my 5th birthday, I remember my mum bought a T-shirts of her, my dad bought a small doll house of her when my family went to a family restaurant, and and and...
As a little child, I quite liked her simple face and primal colours, and she still gives me countless inspiration for my work especially when I think about colour combination and my design tendency---I love simple design. The memories of my childhood link to current life of mine, and the radical originality had made up when I met her.
I thank for her, and will love her forever!

what is my designing style?

2010-01-30T01:30:00.006+09:00

I have read through my blog and thought about my colour and tendency for designing...

*simple-line drawing, pictogram
*colourful but prefer to pick primal colours
*craft like, love handmade not only use computer work.
*story telling
*love to put hidden concepts behind works
*not really antique like much closer to modern?
*favourite fonts-century, century gothic, american typewriter

mmm will think about that deeply from now on.
However it's good to think these things for developing myself and potentiality.
Yes all humans are on the line of growth!

emerge

2010-01-30T01:18:00.002+09:00

emerge exhibition

It's very late to report about this exhibition though...
anyway, i joined the first emerge exhibition in London Design Festival 2009.
I exhibited "emotional baggages" from my final major project in my university.
It was quite good experience to join such as well organised exhibition and I felt I was kind of a guest designer.
Hope I will have another chance to join London Design Festival. I will come back one day!

gooooooooood and bad bad bad bad....

2010-01-25T01:33:00.006+09:00

Good type and Bad type (2008)

This project is designing Good type and Bad type.
My point of view of good type is...
should be simple, easy to deliver information to viewer, and playful/humorous. (As enjoyment is vital for our lives)
Bad type should have obscurity and disgust. Lack of communication is the worst thing for designing, i think.
While in designing, I focused on the sounds that the words themselves have.

I tried to make good type work with small enjoyment. When you open the folding paper little by littel, "good" part would be longer. it is like sound of "gooooooood" and it makes people feel better than bad.
My bad type work is full of bad logos. It's hard to look at for long time, and people would feel bad when they are surrounded by countless bad.
People would be positive and also negative by words, this is the magic of words have.

typography tells a story

2010-01-22T15:48:00.008+09:00

Typography for Plugs PV

(2007)

Click here to watch the video on youtube.

(see my typo works around 1:25)

This is collaboration works with Japanese motion graphic artist Shinpei Okumura, and I made typography works for London based indie band Plugs.

I quite like this work as I listen their music and make imagination from melody and lyrics.

We tried to make psychedelic image for PV as the band requested.

jewels

2010-01-20T18:00:00.004+09:00

made by nature.

stamps

2010-01-19T17:28:00.002+09:00

i made these for new years greeting.

In the chinese calender, this year's animal is a tiger and i made foot prints and pattern of tiger!

uniform for drug lovers

2010-01-13T15:36:00.012+09:00

PRODUCER

BUYER

DEALER

Uniform for drug lovers

2nd year college project: Emergency in Suburbia

(2007)

Making a drug treading smoothly by T-shirts as uniforms which are parted by functions.

Uniforms become as icons and symbols as below;

Producer: Black/Opium flower print

Buyer: Red/Hand

Dealer: Blue/shoes on a wire

a white box with multi coloured memories

2010-01-07T01:15:00.006+09:00

I have sort of obsession for box. (especially white one)

Most of rooms are square like a box, and my new room is also just like a box.

Lots of brown boxes with full of my belongings were carried into the box room, and now the big box is filled with small boxes. The white big box will be coloured by my daily belongings like painting.

What colour is your box?

small things make a big result

2010-01-06T01:28:00.006+09:00

Recently I'm into making stamps by a rubber and chisels.

This time I made greeting cards to inform that I have moved to a new flat, this is sort of Japanese old custom to give these cards with new address to friends.

I quite love to make simple illustrations and also I can make an elaborate illustration by putting several stamps together. So..what can I make for next??

new discoveries

2010-01-05T11:28:00.008+09:00

I got a new toy!

These pictures were taken by my iphone with a toy camera application.

It's really handy and playful, and storytelling. I quite love it.

Since I started to do shooting with it, I see this world carefully and found a new part of my everyday life. This is good for observation and also thinking of design theory (composition, lighting and colouring etc.).

I will update pieces of new discoveries here from now on!

Happy new year

2010-01-03T22:28:00.003+09:00

Currently I just moved to a happy town in central Tokyo (like London's Camden town) .

One day I saw a lady was walking with her parrot, and people in the town love to put their old fashioned pantalons. I quite love to see these people with original tastes. Funny funny and funny!

There is a silk screen printing studio which is quite close from my old small flat, and I cannot wait to work in the studio for my creation!

This year will be something special I just imagine.

Hope you all will have super happy new year!

xx Aki

KOBE ROCK STREET flyer design

2009-11-14T17:48:00.003+09:00

Flyer design for the indie music event "KOBE ROCK STREET" in Kobe, Japan (2009)

This flyers are designed for a indie music event.

I was asked to make flyers like an image of the morning in winter, and I used calm and warm images that I can see the view from my window, and chose quiet like typo and colour for the design.

Hello, I am in Japan!

2009-11-14T17:37:00.002+09:00

Dear all,

Hello there!

I currently went to back to Japan, my mother country.

It was great experience to study in the most exciting artistic city London, and I hope I can use these experiences and ability in future here in Japan or anywhere.

If you have something, request or giving me job opportunity, please contact me.

We have great technology, internet, that enable us to submit work from anywhere!

Keep in touch and thank you for reading this!

Aki Makita

new mobile number: +81 (0)80-4205-7632

Join in the London Design Festival

2009-09-16T03:34:00.003+09:00

Dear all,

I am joining emerge, the debut graphic design graduate showcase of the london design festival.

I will exhibit face bags work which is one of the final major projects in university.

Venue:

Rich Mix

35-47 Bethnal Green Road,

London E1 6LA

19-27 September 2009

Open Daily 10am-6pm

Admission free

emerge website

Also my poster will be exhibited at London Poster exhibition in V&A museum.

Venue:

Victoria and Albert Museum

Sackler Centre

Cromwell Road

London

SW7 2RL

19 Sep-27Sep

Opening times:

10:00-17:45 daily

10:00-22:00 Friday

Free admission

If you have time, please come and see my work:-)

thanks!

My name is,

2009-09-12T12:00:00.011+09:00

Typography/2009

When I look at myself, I feel I am made of countless materials. DNA, gene, other chemical elements, memories, emotion, favourite things,

talent, experiences, character, identity and etc,.

These each thing is vital to talk about who I am and what myself is, and they all elements have diffenrnt colour and shape that I made and painted in my life.

My name is Aki Makita, and I can write it as 牧田亜希 in chinese character. I made the typography for myself.

Alfavet is basicaly simple and symbol. Firstly, I made minimal typoface for my name, and painted out the empty spaces by multi colours. It became like mosaic art. I love it.

Through the process to make it, I felt it is just like our lives themselves. When we are born, we have nothing, we just have a name and sex and we were white. But as we walk in our own lives, we will see and experience many things and gain sense of values.

Then I would like to ask you, what is your colour?

flowers

2009-09-12T09:17:00.002+09:00

I just think flowers must be gift from nature.

We can enjoy them with five senses. Smelling, feeling, enjoying their colour, shape and texture, even eating is possible!

PHOTO NEXT 2010 logo design conpetition

2009-09-07T23:23:00.002+09:00

These logo design were designed for the photographic industrial exhibition "PHOTO NEXT 2010".

The exhibition is going to hold for the first time to promote and introduce film-based photograph equipments for develop and printing.

I chose CMY colours for the image to represent basis of the creation, and the layers of colour represent development as the layers make new another colours.

I placed the typo in random way, it also represents possibility and change as the future of photography have them and also the exhibition is on the starting line.

emotion of breeze

2009-09-06T03:54:00.009+09:00

emotion of patchwork

Sometimes I feel weather would have emotion too as we human have.

The heavy rain seems like the sky is deeply sad and crying. Under the strong sunshine, I imagine the sky is super happy, etc.

I did shooting of my work in a park today, and there was continually small wind during the term. The cloth was swinging and dancing in the breeze. It seemed the wind shows its emotion by the waver.

S and Moon

2009-09-02T08:32:00.005+09:00

I drew Moon, my flatmate while she was making typoface.

Kind of exchange the fields.

(She did illustlation and I was in typo course in the uni.)

then has she made the typoface for S?

let's have a check her blog :)

http://dustonmyeyelashes.blogspot.com/

Sounds of London

2009-08-31T21:24:00.003+09:00

London Design Festival 2009 Poster competition

(2009)

‘Working with graphic designers and typographers we aim to celebrate another aspect of design that is renowned in London. The poster is one of the oldest and still most powerful mediums that is used to communicate. It has been used to convey political, social and environmental messages. Posters help sell products, bands & ideas, events, in fact, every conceivable part of our society is still exposed to the poster’

– Quote Domenic Lippa

The brief is to produce a poster celebrating London.

My idea for a poster comes from the image of London as one of the biggest international capital.

People comes from different countries and places, and use English for communication and it also make their identities by accent or pronunciation.

How do you hear 'LONDON' when Chinese people say the word? or Spanish? Italian?

The sounds is different, and people feel London in different ways in this big capital.

drawing and chatting at night with cup of tea

2009-08-30T08:36:00.006+09:00

01: 灯り　lights

02: うろ覚え vague memory

03: 髪飾り decorations

Last night, my friend visited me and we doodled with cups of tea.

I remember my childhood and always did drawing.

Stereo future x Babybabys event flyer design

2009-07-30T05:09:00.006+09:00

Flyer design for the indie music event in Kobe, Japan (2009)

This event is going to be organised by Kobe (Japan) based indie bands.

I designed these images with inspiration from these line-up band's musics (pop and jazzy), and also the title: Great Escape Kobe gave me the idea of 'off to travel somewhere like the unknown world with curiosity' as music always brings us out new front.

Degree Show

2009-07-19T10:46:00.012+09:00

5:1 LCC BA G.M.D course Degree show

25/06/2009-03/07/2009

at London College of Communication

I exhibited...

Forest anywhere -The Little Red Riding Hood in Isotypes (Transformer project)
'eks (Past Present Future project)
Patchwork of emotion (Self initiated project)

If you have visited the exhibition, I would like to say thank you for coming.

my boxes.

2009-07-03T06:12:00.007+09:00

My boxes.

Illustration for a Japanese free paper

issue in July 2009.

(2009)

The concept of the free paper is "looking at inside brain".

I drew these illustration from my obsession.

I feel something like sympathy for simple and inorganic things like dots, lines and box.

They are beautiful and living in the inside of my brain, and always give me inspiration.

Forest anywhere

2009-07-02T10:51:00.011+09:00

Final major project 3:

The Little Red Riding Hood

outcome 2/Shooting in the kind of dangerous areas as the forest

(2009)

The tale the Little Red Riding Hood has another aspects that is the warning of the wolf (=man) for girls.

I placed the isotype illustration on the wooden boards in the sort of dangerous areas in London, for instance SOHO, Camden Town, Kilburn, a park and on a night bus.

Through research of sexual offenses, most of occasions are committed by offenders who victims know (e.g. ex-boy friend or colleagues), and no where is safe except you beware even boys also become victims sometimes.

Anyone could be the wolf, anywhere could be the forest and anyone could be the Little Red Riding Hood.

The Little Red Riding Hood in isotype

2009-07-02T08:51:00.017+09:00

Final major project 3: (Transformers)
The Little Red Riding Hood

outcome 1/isotype

(2009)

This project is about transforming something (film,book,music etc.) into another format.

I chose the fairy tale The The Little Red Riding

Hood and transformed to isotype that is symbol

communication without words.

Because of fame of the tale, we do not need to

describe the story anymore and my idea is letting

audiences narrate by themselves through the

illustration/isotype.

my pattern.

2009-06-30T22:56:00.006+09:00

Drawing, pattern design

chaotic pattern is always in the inside of my brain.

Dots, lines, weird pattern..

They all are always stocked in my brain.

I love to release them from the inside to the outside as I draw with a black pen.

(This pattern was drawn for Authenticity project.)

'eks

2009-06-30T10:23:00.011+09:00

Final major project 2:

'eks (Past Present Future)

02:22

music by Masakatsu Takagi

(2009)

Apple seeds pop up from a test tube and change their figures through the story.

A seed become a plant and a tree, and the three makes a fruit and a bird eats it. The bird makes an egg and people eat it...

Everything is linked to the next step/generation/future.

A seed is unknown quantity and no one knows its future.

I made an animation by using apple seeds to draw images for this project.

The reason why I chose apple seeds as the main concept is from the Newton's apple.

Newton found inspiration from a tiny point in everyday life and it connected to the great science development. A bird, a egg and us, we all are made of seeds and have possibilities but no one knows the future. We are in the stage of experiment like the seeds in the test tube.

I made the display of the test tubes and put the vital elements for the grows:

soil as space/water as food/matches as light/miniature dolls(man and woman) as love.

A tower of authenticity

2009-06-29T23:23:00.013+09:00

Final major project 1: Authenticity

A tower

(2009)

Finding it and losing it. Making it and breaking it.

We always repeat same things and find its authenticity -the importance of the things or relationship- after that.

The tower is constructed by a number of boxes (of authenticity). You might find the meaning of authenticity after you lose or break your treasure.

Self initiated project 3: patchwork of emotion

2009-06-28T11:22:00.011+09:00

Project outcome 3:

Patchwork of emotion

(2009)

During in the process of silk screen printing on the bags, I found multicoloured layers are beautiful.

Then I printed many faces on cotton fabrics with different coulours, and they became like a crossover of emotion. I cut out the fabrics in the pieces 20cm x 20cm, mixed and sewed randomly.

This became the third outcome for the project, patchwork of emotion.

Relationship is not always straightforward. Sometimes we do argument or fighting, but these are not always bad and could be the result of mutual understanding and bring us to the next step of the good relationship. Cutting is representation of quarrel, and sewing is reconciliation in a way.

self initiated project 2: hello! bags (your belongings also do communication)

2009-06-28T10:28:00.015+09:00

Project outcome 2:

Hello! Bags

(2009)

In this stage, I made cotton bags with face icon prints as my suggestion for the new way of communication.

The Hello! Bag helps to show your emotion to others by face icons.

Two different faces are printed on both front and back side, and the owner of the bag can change the face as she/he feels something during conversation with someone.

If the owner feels happy in the dialogue, happy face ;-) will stay but if not, unhappy face :-( will come on the surface.

We all humans have many ways to express our feeling luckily. Face expressions, body languages, voice tones and showing attitude etc.

Humans have been developing their possibilities by making tools and also emotion, I believe.

The reason I chose a bag for the outcome is, a bag is a tool for keeping our belongings as identity, and it takes us out from inside. I think a bag is a key to connect outside. In the outside world, we meet people and having conversation. This flow is necessary and we learn lots of things from relationship, and it brings mutual understanding among people. Humans are simple but complicated.

I made the bag to help to make relationship smoothly in the complex communication.

*Perhaps, your belongings also might do communication, no one knows!

Self initiated project 1: emotional literal communication

2009-06-28T09:59:00.009+09:00

Project outcome 1:

Basic pattern design

(2009)

We often put emoticon/face icon to express and deliver our feeling on text message or e-mail.

By using these icons, plain digital conversation become much emotional and friendly.

My idea for the final major/self initiated project is using these icons to create an outcome of the new and modern way of communication.

This project is formed by three outcomes,

1: Basic pattern design (this page)

2: Hello! Bags

3: Patchwork of emotion

Degree Show website

2009-06-28T09:50:00.004+09:00

You can now see some of my works on the degree show website of London College of Communication.

Please visit website below.

http://www.5to1show.com/#/student/typographic/aki-makita_1

Thank you.

Sorry to invite this empty blog,, will update more and more soon!

2009-06-27T08:42:00.012+09:00

Dear all,

Thank you for visiting this blog and sorry I haven't updated for long time.

I will put more work soon and please visit here again.

Now I have been making a proper website so when I finish making it, will inform about that here.

Thank you again!

Aki

Ilusive gig flyer (2007)

2009-06-05T10:37:00.001+09:00

Flyer design for London based independent band Ilusive

(2007)

It was the first time for the band to have a gig in Japan, so I intended to design "London-like design" but not really obviously.

Buildings or instruments, these images on the flyer are all make sounds as the band makes sounds and music too, and the red colour is placed as the symbol colour of London to make the strong impression that the band is from London.

ASAHI BEER summer campaign (2007)

2009-06-05T10:21:00.001+09:00

ASAHI BEER summer campaign (2007)

Designing a symbol of the sun for the summer campaign of 2007.

I designed the sun which is represented both sunrise and sunset.

This advertisement was appeared on adverts on the tube station, numerous newspapers and magazines. (Londonpaper, i-D, Dazed&confused etc.)

Book design for Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde

2009-06-03T00:11:00.015+09:00

Final Piece - Cover

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sketchbook works - research and making idea

Project detail
Using whole texts from the novel Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde and creating new reperetation for it.

Resolution
Book design with mirror papers

(2008 Spring)

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Concept

I picked up a mirror as a transformation object as Jekyll used medicine to be Hyde.
Also, through reading the book, I often find that Jekyll looked at mirror to check his figure.
Mirror (or picture) is only one object that we can see ourselves with objective view, and Jekyll might looked at inside of himself objectively by the medicine.
Actually we can not judge Hyde is bad and Jekyll is good, because both of them were radically figured by a person: Jykell. I found the phrase of Greek philosphy that is “If you would like to know the fact, see yourself in the mirror. And everything would be evident.”Words sould be always subjective, so my idea is if we look at Hyde and Jekyll’s words carefully through a mirror, we might find the fact or something beyond the words.

I made a book and it is composed of two parts, the Left side is mirror part and the right side is words part.
In word parts, I put words of characters next to the mirror to be visible when reader see the words in the mirror. Only Jekyll and Hyde’s words are reflected so we can read the whole text only when we look it in the mirror.
When people do slant the mirror parts, also they can play with line of words as they see own face objectively.

About book cover design, I drew an image by my first impression of the story.
There was something foggy and gloomy image in my mind.
The drawing is like smoke or fog, and it also could be image of the moment of transration (Jekyll became Hybe), Jekyll’s Feeling and Hyde’s mind. I tried to make the book like a picture book for adult because children do transformation-play, and Jekyll (as an adult) brought it into reality.
Transformation is permanent dream for every people and my aim of this work is to make feeling of nostalgia for childhood for adult.

my design philosophy.

2009-06-02T09:10:00.000+09:00

Black dots on the white wall, drawing of lines by electric wires in the sky, typography that I can see around my place, sounds of ordinary life and discarded things.

When I look at my surroundings now, I feel everything is made of design, and they all are part of elements to create the perfect composition in everyday life.
Since I started to study design, I have been feeling this world is full of beautiful and meaningful elements which might make our lives slightly different and funny as spice.
I love to find one of that and put it into my works.

Hello, nice to meet you.

2009-05-14T05:22:00.008+09:00

Dear all,

Thank you for visiting this blog.

I am currently studying typography in Graphic design course, London College of Communication, University of the Arts London.

This blog is created as a portfolio to present my works, both of college works and professional works.


If you have interests or request my resume/CV, please contact below,

ajiahope@hotmail.com
+44 07912653777

Aki Makita





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Aki Makita
Graphic design, Illustration and more.

Born in Japan in 1983.
Started to drawing since my childhood. Studied Industrial design for three years in a high school in Saitama, Japan.
Moved to London In 2002, and learned Screen printing, Millinery and Etching. Went back to Japan after stayed in London for a year, and found the design group 'Jestsquip' with friends in Tokyo.Had several exhibitions since 2004.
Moved to London again in 2005 and started to study Graphic design in UAL.


Education History:

*2006-Present　
BA Graphic and Media Design course, Typography pathway, London College of Communication, University of the Arts London, London, UK

*2005-2006
Foundation Degree Graphic Design course, London College of Communication, University of the Arts London, London, UK

*1999-2002
Industrial Design Course, Niiza Sougou Gijyutu High School, Saitama. Japan



Working History:

*2007 Summer
ASAHI BEER UK, graphic design for Summer campaign　
http://www.asahibeer.co.uk/images/marketing/national/Shine_330x228_Guardian.pdf

*2005-Present
CD sleeves and flyer design for several independent bands or DJ.

*2003-Present
Jestsquip, Graphic design etc.
-producing bags and selling on own website.
http://www.jestsquip.com



Exhibitions

*2005
'White and Black'
Joined 6th Spiral Independent Creators Festival (SICF)
at Spiral, in Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan
-Drawings
(with Jestsquip)

*2004
'HATO exhibition'
at Yasu garelly in Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan
-Silk screen printings
(group exhibition)

*2004
'SKIP STOP STEP SQUIP'
at Garelly Juiett in Koenji, Tokyo, Japan
-Drawings, T-Shirts design etc.
(with Jestsquip)

*2003
'SWEETS or RUBBISH???'
at Haco garelly (ex-Espass a gogo) in Ogikubo, Tokyo, Japan
-Photograhy
(solo exhibiton)