Interview about Bon Vivant Information Magazine, winner of the A' Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design Award 2025
This information magazine is distributed by Shinkin banks nationwide, so customers can easily pick it up. Its purpose is to promote the charms and specialties of each region as a communication tool between Shinkin banks, their customers, and the local community, and to connect people with the region. She created a cover illustration that makes you want to pick it up. It is a memorable hand drawn illustration with vivid colors. Readers have commented that the magazine brings back nostalgic memories of the seasons and their hometowns.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsItsukushima Shrine is a beautiful shrine, not only for its large torii gate, but also for the vermilion-painted pillars of the main shrine.A visit here cleanses the soul, and a solemn atmosphere permeates the air.It was registered as a World Heritage Site in 1996.I have visited twice, but unfortunately I have never participated in the Kangen Festival.The Kangen Festival, which is held in July at Itsukushima Shrine and surrounding shrines, is a maritime ritual that is said to have been started by Taira no Kiyomori during the Heian period.The moment when the royal boat passes under the great torii gate is said to be a spectacular sight. I would definitely like to visit during that time.
As part of my job, I have had many opportunities to draw local festivals and local shrines and temples.Also, because the illustrations are hand-drawn, I think they naturally convey the warmth and familiarity of hand-drawn art.It wasn't something I developed specifically.
The illustrations were created based on instructions from the designers and clients.The theme changes every year, with some years being flowers, others being festivals, and others being World Heritage sites.We aimed to create fun, nostalgic illustrations that would encourage people to pick up the magazine.
I draw my illustrations based solely on my own feelings. They may be primitive landscapes that you may or may not have seen when you were a child.They may not be something that I have personally experienced, but something common, like a fragment of someone's memory.I hope that these illustrations have touched a chord with readers' sense of the seasons and memories.
The reason I switched from hand-drawn illustrations to digital is that the way work is done has changed, and the Lehman Shock and the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami meant that there wasn't much money to spend on production.Producing illustrations the traditional way takes time and money. Also, nothing beats digital when it comes to digitizing your work.So, as someone who has always raved about the benefits of hand-drawn illustrations, I also tried my hand at digital production.I think I've been able to express things that I couldn't do by hand, and I've expanded my range of expression. But maybe the beauty of my illustrations has made them lose their warmth.
As well as illustrating for Bon Vivant Information magazine, I have also worked on illustrating Japanese festivals and World Heritage sites.This has given me many opportunities to look at a wide range of materials, and perhaps it is thanks to this that I am able to capture the essence and energy of these places.
By picking up the book and reading it, readers can learn more about the region's specialties and their charms through the region's traditional festivals and famous places.For this reason, we thought it was important that the cover illustration, which forms the face of the magazine, be visually appealing as well.It seemed that many readers looked forward to the monthly information magazine.
I have not received any reports that my cover illustration has directly led to increased tourism in the area or cultural understanding. I think it has been a catalyst for that.I have not received any specific reports that it has increased sales or the number of people visiting the area.However, there are letters from readers in the magazine, such as people who have framed the illustration of the outer skin and put it on display, who look forward to it every time, and who were happy to get the last volume in their hands.I have received letters saying things like, "I love the heartwarming cover illustration," and "I'm stocking up on copies of the magazine and not throwing them away."It seems that I have been able to contribute in that way.
My experience as an educator at Japan Designer Art Academy has allowed me to teach people to express things that are difficult to convey in words through illustrations, paintings, and designs, and to help them find the process of how to express their own individuality.
Proof of the enduring power of print media in the digital age?Whether it's a hand-drawn or digital illustration, the most important thing is that the subject matter depicted is appealing.When you consider time and costs, digital illustrations are quick and produce beautiful results, but sometimes they're so beautiful that they fail to convey the original emotion of the artist.
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