As the Seibu Company seized more retail subsidiaries during Japan’s boom economy, Tanaka became involved in the creation of Muji, a worldwide chain of lifestyle stores. In 1980, he began his long-time role as art director of Muji as he worked to craft its understated yet elegant brand identity as well as design ideas and prototypes for their products (Segran). Aligned with Muji’s clean identity, Tanaka expressed himself through minimalism and restraint in his work, coupled with bold colors and precise geometry. He served as Muji’s art director until 2001.

Ikko Tanaka’s most famous work is a series of posters for the Nihon Buyo performance by UCLA’s Asian performing Arts Institute. In this work, he focuses on the face of a geisha dancer and captures her beauty through a combination of geometric shapes, with strong, vivid colors paired with a lavenader gradient fading into her face. The composition honors and challenges Japanese simplicity through the sharpness and conviction of each shape.