masaaki hiromura was born in the aichi prefecture, japan in 1954. after graduating from
musashino art university in 1977 he began working for tanaka ikko design office in tokyo.
with ten years of work experience under his belt he decided to open his own studio.


masaaki hiromura

located in minato-ku hiromura, tokyo hiromura design office is made up of nine designers
and one manager. since 1988 hiromura and his team have built up an award winning portfolio
of graphic design projects that cover identity, advertising, signage systems, packaging
and exhibitions. clients include issey miyake, nissan and numerous museums and businesses
in japan and overseas.  masaaki hiromura is the art direction advisor for tokushu paper co . ltd
and is also an associate professor of tokyo polytechnic university.

designboom asked him a few questions about his work:

what would you say is the main characteristic of your visual communication?
'I always think about 'how information is conveyed' rather than 'how to convey information'
the most important thing to achieve is not expression but to find out essence. I want to
continue thinking about the relationship between information and people.

it appears you specialize in the design of signage systems
how difficult is it to innovate in this field without confusing the user?
I am interested in every type of design but my specialty is graphic design . I only came to
work on signage systems through an encounter with a great architect.  a complicated space
plan causes confusion,  a signage system cannot redeem it but makes people more conscious
of the space. we shouldn’t be afraid of confusion.

how do you imagine the future of signage systems?
the ideal signage system is the one which doesn’t need any signs,
I wish it could access one’s brain directly.

can you explain how you came to design the kitasenju pictograms?
we looked at the meanings each kanji letter has. making a part of the letter an illustration gets
right and left brain working at the same time, and it increases one’s attention.


kitasenjyu marui shokuyukan, vi, tokyo, 2004


kitasenjyu marui shokuyukan, vi, tokyo, 2004
photographer: nacása & partners inc.


kitasenjyu marui shokuyukan, vi, tokyo, 2004
photographer: nacása & partners inc.


kitasenjyu marui shokuyukan, vi, tokyo, 2004
photographer: nacása & partners inc.


various logos, clockwise: izumi garden, 2002 - nasu garden outlet, 2008 - takeo mihoncho honton, 2000 - AB design, 2003

 

numbers, private exhibition, 1997


numbers, private exhibition, 1997


numbers, private exhibition, 1997


nissan motor co., ltd., sign, kanagawa (japan), 2006
photographer: kozo takayama takeo


nissan motor co., ltd., sign, kanagawa (japan), 2006
photographer: kozo takayama takeo


nissan motor co., ltd., sign, kanagawa (japan), 2006
photographer: kozo takayama takeo


nissan motor co., ltd., sign, kanagawa (japan), 2006
photographer: kozo takayama takeo


nissan motor co., ltd., sign, kanagawa (japan), 2006
photographer: kozo takayama takeo


9h, sign, kyoto (japan), 2009
photographer: nacása & partners inc.


9h, sign, kyoto (japan), 2009
photographer: nacása & partners inc.

more images from the nine hours project here


loft ads, 2008


miyoshi factory soap, package graphics, 2009


shinonome canal court codan, sign, tokyo, 2003
photographer: nacása & partners inc.


shinonome canal court codan, sign, tokyo, 2003
photographer: nacása & partners inc.


shinonome canal court codan, sign, tokyo, 2003
photographer: nacása & partners inc.


shinonome canal court codan, sign, tokyo, 2003
photographer: nacása & partners inc.


shinonome canal court codan, sign, tokyo, 2003
photographer: nacása & partners inc.


ginza wakana, package, 2003-2004


takeo tokyo bay distribution center, sign, tokyo, 2005
photographer: nacása & partners inc.