The Master of One, creating harmony between Japanese and Modernist design.

Ikko Tanaka is my design hero not only for his design philosophy, but also for what he means to me personally as an emerging Asian-American designer. Like him, I, too, believe that while it’s important to have style or voice as a designer, it should not overpower the people you serve and their needs. I admire him for redefining Japanese graphic design through fusion of European modernism and Japanese tradition. As an Asian-American, I often find myself unable to articulate uncomfortable feeling of in-betweenness of being Asian-American; I’m never American enough to some, never Asian enough in others. As a child, I rarely had role models to look up to that were of my ethnicity, much less my race, and this still holds true today (although to a lesser extent) even in my design education.

My reason may feel simple or childlike, but it is reassuring to know that design exists and thrives outside of European or American design. Growing up with Western influence, Tanaka inspires me with how he mediates what others would consider two polarities of Eastern and Western design. I hope that I, too, will be able to carve a path for myself that honors both parts of my identity and explores their potential as one.