21_21 DESIGN SIGHT will hold the exhibition “Learning from Design Maestros” from November 21, 2025 (Friday). This exhibition will reflect on the works and philosophies of six towering figures in design.

Bruno Munari (born Italy, 1907–1998)
Max Bill (born Switzerland, 1908–1994)
Achille Castiglioni (born Italy, 1918–2002)
Otl Aicher (born Germany, 1922–1991)
Enzo Mari (born Italy, 1932–2020)
Dieter Rams (born Germany, 1932–)

The exhibition uses their representative works, words and documentary film to show the human dimensions of the six designers’ endeavors. It provokes in visitors a sense of what these designers expected from each of us, and how we too should be independent and proactive.
This exhibition also includes the perspective of Shutaro Mukai (1932–2024) whose friendship with Max Bill and Otl Aicher laid the foundation for the Science of Design in Japan.

SPREAD has participated in exhibition planning and created promotional graphic design for this exhibition.
Photos of the six designers are used as part of the visual identity throughout the promotional design, through which we can see their characteristics and personalities from their appearance and working environment. Additionally, the six lines placed behind photos might look like created digitally at first glance, but they are actually hand-drawn. This is paying tribute to the design works that brings thinking into practice through hands-on making, and also a mark of reflecting on the past and connecting the present and future.

Please take this opportunity to experience these fascinating designers’ works and sense their curiosity, inquisitiveness and courage.

—
21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Exhibition “Learning from Design Maestros”
Date：November 21 (Fri), 2025 – March 8 (Sun), 2026
Venue：21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Gallery 1 & 2
9-7-6 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 107-0052 JAPAN
Opening Hours：10:00 – 19:00 (Entrance until 18:30)
※Closed：Tuesdays, December 27 – January 3
Admission：General ¥1,600 / University students ¥800 / High school students ¥500 / Junior high school students and under may enter for free
※Click here for discount information.
※Online Tickets are available via Art Sticker.

Organized by：21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, THE MIYAKE ISSEY FOUNDATION
In Association with：Agency for Cultural Affairs; Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry;
MINATO CITY BOARD OF EDUCATION; Embassy of Italy; Embassy of Switzerland; Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany
Subsidized by：Sakae Stünzi Foundation
Special Sponsor：Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.
Supported by：National Crafts Museum, Musashino Art University Museum & Library, TAMA ART UNIVERSITY, kuwano trading (pagina), TAKEO CO., LTD., DELFONICS Co.,Ltd., FLOS JAPAN K.K., Metropolitan Gallery Inc.

Exhibition Directors：Noriko Kawakami, Kaoru Tashiro
Planning Associate：Tomoko Mukai, Takaaki Bando (Professor, Science of Design, Musashino Art University)
Planning Associate, Promotional Graphic Design：SPREAD
Space Graphic Design：UMA/design farm
Space Design：TONERICO:INC.
Film Production：Seiichi Hishikawa（DRAWING AND MANUAL）

21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Directors：Taku Satoh, Naoto Fukasawa
Associate Director：Noriko Kawakami
Program Manager：Takako Nakahora
Program Officer：Moeto Yasuda

SPREAD has been invited to participate in We Design Beirut, a design event held in Beirut, Lebanon, where will showcase two versions of Much Peace Love and Joy at two different venues. We Design Beirut is a five-day design experience taking place from October 22 to 26, 2025.

It’s been 50 years since the civil war in Lebanon fragmented the country’s cultural fabric. We Design Beirut functions as a renewal, highlighting the country’s creative landscape and contemporary design scene. A culmination of Lebanese creativity, culture and history, the event aims to establish a platform for community-based connectivity, engagement and creation by shedding a spotlight on over 200 designers in various fields, craftspeople and aspiring students. The mission is to weave a sustainable and enriching network of design and creativity in the region and beyond.

SPREAD’s goal is to have people experience the creativity that spreads from the memory of color. Color has the power to stimulate the senses and emotions. Something wells up within the heart. That something drives thought and expands the world. When people feel drawn into a dark and heavy current, we want the people to use their imagination and want them to feel happiness through  our exhibit, “Much Peace Love and Joy”. The artwork featuring floating pieces will be exhibited for the first time since Milan Design Week 2021.

We hope to make this exhibition even more inspiring than before—an experience that brings happiness to people through the power of imagination and color.

From Monday, April 7 to Sunday, April 13, 2025, we will present an exhibition at Alcova, a key design platform during Milan Design Week 2025 in Italy.

Spread has long explored how color conveys information, elevating it into design. At the core of our creative process is one fundamental idea: “Contrast is beautiful.” This concept was first investigated in Japan through our project Ornamental Contrast, which examines the origins and aesthetics of contrast. Now, Ornamental Contrast returns to the global stage. The works presented result from an experimental approach, delving into the interplay of light and darkness within color.

The venue, the Former SNIA Factory, is one of Alcova’s newly added locations for 2025.

The works on display feature steel plates of various sizes, each with different surface textures and layers of color. These compositions awaken the senses, inviting viewers to contemplate what lies beyond the colors themselves.

We warmly invite you to experience this exhibition and explore the depth of contrast in color.

Title: Ornamental Contrast
Designer: SPREAD
Date: 7–13 April 2025
Time: 11AM – 7PM
Venue: ALCOVA| Former SNIA Factory Via Umberto I, 69, 20814 Varedo MB, Italy

For further informations or interviews, please feel free to contact us:
Maisha Yaga yaga@spread-web.jp

*Priority access tickets are available for the four ALCOVA venues, allowing you to avoid peak time crowds. However, you can visit without a ticket, although it is required for Villa Borsani. Tickets can be purchased from HERE.

New Year Greetings from SPREAD.
As we observe the diverse and complex world around us,
we will continue to engage in creation that ‘questions and spreading’.
Wishing for your continued cooperation and goodwill in this year.

Haruna Yamada, Hirokazu Kobayashi
Huilin Miao, Stijn Zijlstra, Kazuya Ono, Maisha Yaga
January 2025

At KITTE OSAKA, the impressive installation “Linear Symphony,” created by SPREAD, is currently on display as part of the “KITTE OSAKA FIRST CHRISTMAS.” The exhibition runs until Wednesday, December 25th, and with only a short time left, this is your chance to experience it!

“Linear Symphony” features massive drapes cascading from the high ceilings, representing the gathering, intertwining, and natural flow of life energy. Spanning the vast open space of approximately 10,000 cubic meters, the fabric creates a dynamic visual experience yet can be compactly rolled up for storage. Despite the scale of the installation, it uses minimal materials, all of which are recyclable.

In addition, we created the heart-shaped monument “Merging Hearts,” infused with the energy of love. Woven together from three vibrant fabrics, this heart symbolizes the collective power of emotions and life energy.

For more details, please visit the special feature page on the official KITTE Osaka website.

With only a short time remaining, we invite you to visit KITTE Osaka and immerse yourself in this grand and unforgettable Christmas experience.

KITTE OSAKA FIRST CHRISTMAS
Dates: Friday, November 22 – Wednesday, December 25
Location: KITTE Osaka, 1st Floor
Artwork: SPREAD
Production: Chikako Owaki (WONDER FULL LIFE), NOMURA MEDIAS, NBC Meshtec Inc.

We are thrilled to announce that SPREAD has been awarded the Graphic Design of the Year in the Graphic Design category at the 2024 Dezeen Awards. The winning project is a series of cover artworks designed for Japan’s most historic architectural media, Journal of Architecture and Building Science, for its 2023 issues.

Each cover was created, not through digital compositing, but by physically constructing and photographing sets. The process involved attaching colors and mirrors to simple geometric forms that symbolized architecture, and arranging these elements within environments built using materials such as salt, faux fur, foam, and torn paper.

Amid the prevalence of digital composite imagery in the architectural field, SPREAD chose an analog approach. With the theme “Architecture as a mirror of society,” we aimed to spark readers’ curiosity and inspire excitement to explore this specialized journal through its cover designs.

The Dezeen Awards, organized by the UK-based global architecture and design magazine Dezeen, celebrate the world’s best in architecture, interiors, and design. This year, the awards received over 4,130 entries from 82 countries. SPREAD’s project was recognized for its visually striking compositions, vivid use of color, and a strong, cohesive graphic style supported by compelling narratives.

We would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude to all collaborators and supporters who made this achievement possible.

Journal of Architecture and Building Science
As Japan’s most historic architectural media, the Journal of Architecture and Building Science was established in 1886 by the Architectural Institute of Japan. The Institute believes that architecture is a method of observing and reflecting society, and it strives to connect architecture with society and vice versa.
SPREAD took charge of the art direction and design for the full run of 24 issues during 2022 and 2023. For each issue, we created covers that abstractly reflected its theme, designed to inspire curiosity and engage readers while providing cohesive art direction for the publication.

The total beauty brand Celvoke, developed by Mash Beauty Lab Co.,Ltd., has launched three skincare and two inner care products as part of its renewal skincare line Celvoke Cell Luxe, the world’s first to incorporate low-fermented swiftlet nest extract. SPREAD oversaw the art direction and design of the packaging.

The newly announced Celvoke Cell Luxe aims to enhance skin elasticity while achieving a luminous, transparent glow. This lineup offers a three-step skincare routine for external care, complemented by drinks and supplements for internal care. Leveraging fermentation technology, the line enhances ingredient absorption, supports the skin’s barrier function, and focuses on bringing out radiance from within.

For the packaging design, the skincare bottles feature a gradient effect instead of the former matte black color, representing the concept of “awakening the skin’s will.” The rounded shape of the serum bottle symbolizes a cell, reflecting the origin of the brand name Celvoke. This cellular motif is also represented in the pink lines on the boxes and inner care product labels. The design exudes an elegant, refined beauty, embodying a new level of sophistication.

The Celvoke Cell Luxe line launched on October 4th, 2024, and is now available at official stores and online. We recommend visiting a store to experience it in person.

Celvoke CELL LUXE
Planning, Development, and Distributor: Mash Beauty Lab Co., Ltd.
Art Direction, Design: SPREAD

SPREAD is thrilled to announce our participation in Alcova Miami 2023, coinciding with Miami Art Week 2023, including Design Miami and Art Basel Miami Beach. We’re excited to return to Alcova, presenting an art exhibition titled “Colored”. This time, Kobayashi and Yamada from SPREAD will be in Miami.

“Colored” comprises three of our artworks: Life Stripe, Much Peace, Love and Joy, Different Worlds. This title is not just about hues. It means expanding richness of life. Color has the power to stimulate the senses and emotions. We expect people to think what life is, and embark on a journey of thoughts and emotions when they see our artworks.

Alcova was founded by Joseph Grima and Valentina Ciuffi in 2018, takes place annually during Milan Design Week. Alcova Miami marks its first international edition. The exhibition will be hosted in the distinctive spaces of the Selina Gold Dust Motel, one of the most iconic motels in the Biscayne Boulevard/MiMo district.

We showcased our installations at Alcova during Milan Design Week in 2019 and 2021. Both installations gained attention and received acclaim, being covered in numerous articles.

Miami Art Week 2023 will feature a series of exhibitions and pop-up events from December 6 to 10 in Miami, Florida. This year’s festival welcomes over 20 art fairs and more than 1,200 global galleries to Miami. When artists, galleries, museums, designers, or tourists come together, it promises to be a fantastic experience.

We can’t wait to share this with you. Stay tuned in the coming weeks.

Come visit us!

Alcova Miami 2023
Press Preview: December 4th 14:00-20:00
Public Opening: December 5th – 9th 11:00-20:00, 10th 11:00-18:00
Room: 215
Location: Selina Gold Dust Motel, 7700 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, Florida 33138, USA

Different Worlds, which connects 196 QR codes to countries around the world, has been awarded ‘Best of the Best’ at the Red dot Design Award 2023.Best of the Best is an award for particularly outstanding design, and out of the total number of entries of the total number of entries is less than 1%.

We are delighted to have been recognised with this prestigious award, with the Grand Prix for two years in a row, 2021 and 2022, and Best of the Best in 2023.

We were also awarded the ‘Red Dot winner’ for our installation ‘Much Peace, Love and Joy’, which is used colour to create joy and vitality in people’s hearts.

The Red Dot Design Award is one of the world’s most respected design awards with a 68-year history. It is divided into three categories – Product, Brand & Communication and Concept – and is judged by international design experts on criteria such as design innovation, functionality, ergonomics and durability.

Different Worlds

Consists of 196 QR codes, all of which lead to the websites of 196 governments around the world. This is a ‘square globe’ representing today’s society: scan a QR code and some randomly selected country appears, opening up a diverse and complex world to you. The work asks the question: how do I face and interact with this open world now?

Click here to watch the video

Much Peace, Love and Joy

This installation was created in 2021 with the idea of creating joy with colour in a world sinking due to a pandemic. Using a special letterpress printing process, we printed gradations in vivid colours, which are never the same, and then cut the printed matter into strips by hand to create shapes that are never the same. The work is then composed of a number of these forms. This is a metaphor for all kinds of beings and concepts, and the experience of imagination is depends on the person.

Click here to watch the video

Spread is looking for the following personnel. We are open to highly motivated applicants.

Project Manager
Spread is looking for a creative-savvy project manager.The job is to oversee the progress of the creative team from the start of the project to the finish. We welcome applicants who can communicate in both Japanese and English. Please send your CV to pm@spread-web.jp.

Creative Stuff
SPREAD is looking for creative staff. Graphic work in the area of branding and communication design. Spatial design work in the realm of installations and exhibitions. Work in design, research, and planning across either or both of these areas. Please send your CV and portfolio (10MB or less) to cs@spread-web.jp.

Administrative Staff
SPREAD is looking for an Administrative Staff. This position is for general clerical work in our design studio. This is a one day a week position. Please send your CV to aa@spread-web.jp.

Internship
SPREAD is looking for an ambitious intern. This includes graphic, space, research, and support for a variety of projects. You will be involved in multiple projects for at least 2 months. Please send your CV and portfolio (10MB or less) to is@spread-web.jp.

“COLOR GADGET” is a new brand by Milbon, a beauty product manufacturer that mainly handles hair items, for all people who enjoy hair coloring. We designed the brand logo and the packaging for the first item, a color shampoo, which comes in seven color variations and can be used for a variety of bleach designs.

The brand aims to give people the joy that hair color brings and to become a servant leader that supports and pulls up the hair coloring industry. The overall design is simple and neutral so that it can be accepted by a wide range of users as well as hair salons.

The brand logo is designed to be both friendly and powerful. The bottle is a clean black color like a medicine bottle, and the label is a grid of color gradients that reflect the concept that the color of shampoo varies depending on the condition of the hair, and that each individual’s color is created by their own personality.

COLOR GADGET
Art direction & Design: Spread

We created an installation to decorating the 16th-anniversary event of Midland Square, a commercial facility in Nagoya.

We compared the 16 years since the birth of Midland Square to a flower, and aimed to create a place that celebrates the various thoughts and feelings of visitors to Midland Square with color.

Two bunches of veils spread across the atrium from the B1 floor to the 4th floor, and at the hem of the veils is a corsage-like ornament with a store of fabric hanging down. Looking up at the installation from below, it looks like a blooming flower, a bouquet of flowers, or a fluted glass, and adds gorgeous color to the space.

MIDLAND ANNIVERSARY 2023Time is Like a Flower ～Let’s make beautiful flowers bloom together! ～
Period: Friday, March 3 – Friday, March 31, 2023
Location: Midland Square 4-7-1 Meieki, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 450-0002, Japan
Organizer: Midland Square

Installation
Location: Atrium, Commercial Building B1F / Art Direction and Design: SPREAD / Planning: Orange Communications Corporation / Construction and Manufacturing: Naka-Nippon Kogyo Corporation, NBC Mesh Tech Co.

A talk event by participating artist Tomohiro Okazaki and Spread will be held at the “Design Scope” exhibition currently being held at the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art on Saturday, February 18 (14:00-15:30).

The event can be viewed free of charge both at the venue, Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art, and via live streaming on Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art’s official YouTube channel. We hope you will enjoy the event.

“Design Scope” exhibition talk event
Date and time: 14:00-15:30 each day Place: Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art 3rd floor hall Target: First 50 people for each session (Anyone/No application required) Fee: Free February 18 (Sat) Tomohiro Okazaki x Spread（Haruna Yamada, Hirokazu Kobayashi, Haruna Kobayashi Feb. 19 (Sun) Nobuko Nakano (brain scientist) x Toshiki Kiriyama (Deputy Director, Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art) Mar. 4 (Sat) Toshiki Kiriyama (Deputy Director, Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art) x Guest (TBD) *Audio and video may be interrupted due to line conditions. Please understand in advance.

Design Scope – Wondering to Peek, Wondering to See, Wondering to Feel -” commemorating the 5th anniversary of the opening of the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art

Dates: December 10, 2022 (Sat) – March 5, 2023 (Sun) *Closed: Wednesdays, Year-end and New Year holidays (December 29 – January 3), January 10 (Tue)
Venue: Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art, 2F Exhibition Rooms 2, 3, 4, Foyer (3-20 Kiba-cho, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture)
Admission: General: 1,100 yen (850 yen), University students: 550 yen (420 yen)
Free for high school students and younger
For more information, please visit the website of Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art.
Exhibiting artists: SPREAD, we+, Tomohiro Okazaki, Yuma Kano, Nobuhiro Shimura, Yasuhiro Suzuki, Yuuki Hayashi, Haruka Misawa
Organizers: The Museum of Fine Arts, Toyama, Kitanippon Shimbun, KitaNippon Broadcasting Co.

Nichiesu, an importer and distributor of outdoor furniture under the slogan “Joy of Outdoor Living,” has released its 2023 catalog. SPREAD is in charge of art direction and design. This year’s catalog cover and frontispiece photography are based on the theme of “wood,” and ask the viewer the question, “Why do people go outside? to the viewer. The bright oranges, soft cream-colored bark, and lush young foliage of the trees represent the beauty and strength of the trees.

Nichiesu Catalog 2023
Published by Nichiesu Corporation / Osaka Showroom: Century Building 1F, 1-4-16 Kyomachibori, Nishi-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 550-0003 / Tokyo Showroom: Meisei Building 1F, 3-50-11 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0051 / Art direction & design: Spread / Photography: Kazuhiro Kodaira / Printing and binding: Photo Chemical Co.

Burberry, a British luxury brand with over 100 years of history, will hold a pop-up store focusing on trench coats, “The Burberry Trench Pop-Up,” at Isetan Shinjuku until February 20th (Mon).
SPREAD was selected for Burberry’s first-ever creator collaboration to develop the creative concept and to design the installation.

The installation is inspired by scenes of people walking in trench coats. The stories of people who wear Burberry are symbolized by Gabardine, a material used in trench coats. The three-color fabric lines in the installation express the way people live, their passions, resolutions, vibrant emotions and sense of tension.

Discover three curated worlds: Trench Restored, Heritage Refresh and Modern Rainwear, each offering a selection of trench coats for all styles and preferences. Artisans from Burberry’s Castleford Mill are also available to provide personalisation in the form of a Trench Bespoke programme.

Both the installation and the trench coat will be a timeless creation to experience. We look forward to seeing you there.

The Burberry Trench Pop-Up
Date: February 8 (Wed.) – 20, 2023 (Mon.) 10am – 8pm
Venue: ISETAN Shinjuku Main Bldg. 2F ISETAN The Space

The “New Year’s Greeting Cards from 100 Creators” exhibition will be held at three Takeo Co. showrooms (Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka) from January 23 (Monday). This is the 18th annual New Year’s event in which New Year’s greeting cards sent to Takeo by creators are shown to the general public. SPREAD’s New Year’s greeting card with this year’s theme “FLOAT” will be exhibited at both the main office of Mihoncho and Yodoyabashi Mihoncho. Please stop by if you are in the neighborhood.

New Year’s greeting cards from 100 creators” Exhibition vol.18
Dates: January 23 (Mon.) – February 22 (Wed.), 2023 / Admission: Free / Organizer: Takeo Co.
Tokyo Venue: Takeo Co., Ltd. main store, 2F / Location: 3-18-3 Kanda Nishiki-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0054 / Closed: Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays / Hours: 11:00-18:00
Osaka venue: Yodoyabashi Mihoncho ／ Located at: Yodoyabashi onona 1F, 4-1-1 Imabashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 541-0042 ／ Open daily during the exhibition period ／ Open hours: 11:00 – 18:00 Fukuoka venue: Fukuoka Mihoncho ／ Located at: 1-9-20 Yutaka, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka 812-0042 ／ Closed: Saturdays, Sundays and holidays ／ 9:00 – 17:30

SPREAD in 2023 wants to work while floating lightly around the world. The visuals are made by photographing and processing bark, which looks like the surface of the earth from above or a fluid gas. We use a risograph technique to print in two colors on fine paper “Gmund Color Matte-FS” with an awareness of plate misalignment. This printing process also produced different ink grazes on each sheet, resulting in the expressive work “FLOAT”.

I wish you a very Happy New Year!
It can be said that humanity is now living through a turning point of time.
There are serious problems afoot on our planet.
We are floating in a diverse and complex world.
We will create “Questioning and Expanding” while floating in a diverse and complex world.
We look forward to working with you again this year.

Haruna Yamada　Hirokazu Kobayashi
January 2023

In commemoration of the 5th anniversary of the opening of Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art
Design Scope – Wondering, Wondering, Wondering
Dates: Saturday, December 10, 2022 – Sunday, March 5, 2023
Venue: Toyama Prefectural Art Museum, 2F
3-20 Kiba-cho, Toyama, Toyama 930-0806, Japan
Hours: 9:30 – 18:00 (admission until 17:30)
Closed: Wednesdays, Year-end and New Year holidays (December 29 – January 3), January 10 (Tuesday)
Admission: General admission: 1,100 yen (850 yen), college students: 550 yen (420 yen), advance purchase of general admission: 850 yen
Organizers: The Museum of Fine Arts, Toyama; The Kitanihon Shimbun; Kitanihon Broadcasting Corporation
Exhibiting artists: we+, Tomohiro Okazaki, Yuma Kano, Nobuhiro Shimura, Yasuhiro Suzuki, Spread, Yuuki Hayashi, Haruka Misawa

Talk
Design Scope” exhibition talk events (8 sessions)
Time: 14:00-15:30 each day
Place: Toyama Prefectural Art Museum 3F Hall
Eligibility: First 50 people for each session
Admission: Free
No application required

We are participating as an exhibiting artist in the exhibition “Design Scope – Wonder to Peek, Wonder to See”, which commemorates the 5th anniversary of the opening of Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art, and are showing three works including new works. Please come and visit the exhibition.

On February 18 (Sat), a talk event with participating artist Tomohiro Okazaki and SPREAD (14:00-15:30) will be held at the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and on the official YouTube channel.

Photo: Junya Igarashi

Design Scope: Peeking, Wondering, Wondering” commemorates the 5th anniversary of the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art
Telescopes allow us to observe distant stars, and microscopes allow us to observe microorganisms and cells. Through the use of various lens-based instruments, human beings have expanded the world they can perceive and have created new technologies and values.
In this exhibition, we have named the viewpoint through the lens of “design” the “design-scope,” and through repeated dialogues with designers and artists who are currently active at the forefront of the field, we will discuss what kind of proposals design can make in the future, as well as the current situation in which design and art are coming infinitely closer, from micro/macro perspectives. The exhibition will also provide a bird’s-eye view of the current situation from micro/macro perspectives. Through the works newly created for this exhibition, and through the use of sound and images, the entire space will be made enjoyable, allowing visitors to experience the creative energy of design and art, and to experience the fun, surprise, and possibilities for the next generation from right here in Toyama.
Dates: Saturday, December 10, 2022 – Sunday, March 5, 2023
Closed: Wednesdays, Year-end and New Year holidays (December 29 – January 3), January 10 (Tuesday)
Venue: Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art, 2F Exhibition Rooms 2, 3, 4, Foyer (3-20 Kiba-cho, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture)
Admission: General admission: 1,100 yen (850 yen), University students: 550 yen (420 yen), Advance tickets: 850 yen
Free for high school students and younger
For more information, please visit the website of Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art.
Exhibiting artists: Spread, we+, Tomohiro Okazaki, Yuma Kano, Nobuhiro Shimura, Yasuhiro Suzuki, Yuuki Hayashi, Haruka Misawa
Organizers: The Museum of Fine Arts, Toyama, Kitanihon Shimbun, Kitanihon Broadcasting Corporation

Talk event:
Date & Time: 14:00-15:30 each day
Place：3F Hall, Toyama Prefectural Art Museum
Eligibility：First 50 people for each session, anyone / no application required
(*Reservations required for the event on February 19 via the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art website)
Admission: Free
January 14 (Sat) Hiroaki Nagai (Graphic Designer, Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art Poster Design FY2022-) x Noriko Kawakami
February 11 (Sat) Haruka Misawa × Shohei Takei (nomena CEO, engineer)
February 18 (Sat) Tomohiro Okazaki × Spread (Haruna Yamada, Hirokazu Kobayashi)
February 19 (Sun) Nobuko Nakano (brain scientist) × Toshiki Kiriyama (Deputy Director, Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art)
March 4 (Sat) Toshiki Kiriyama (Deputy Director, Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art) x Guest (TBD)

In the brand and communication design category of the Red Dot Design Award 2022, considered one of the world’s three major design awards, Spread won the Red Dot: Grand Prix for Tsubame-Sanjo Factory Museum and the Red Dot for Color Jungle.
Last year Spread was awarded the Red Dot: Grand Prix for their project Mesh Virus-Control Flag Partition, making this the second consecutive year they have won the Grand Prix.

On the 28th of October 2022, Spread attended the Red Dot Design Award 2022 ceremony in Berlin, Germany, and received the trophy. The best entry in the category ‘Best of the Best’ is awarded the Grand Prix – making it the highest award. This year six projects were selected for the Grand Prix from over 9,000 entries from around 50 countries.

Videos

Tsubame-Sanjo Factory Museum

Color Jungle

Mesh Virus-Control Flag Partition

About the Red Dot Design Award
The Red Dot Design Award, organized by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Germany, was founded in 1955. It is known as one of the world’s three major design awards, along with the iF Design Award also in Germany and the International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) in the USA. Divided into three categories – product design, brand and communication design and design concept – a jury of international design experts annually judge the entries on nine criteria, including innovation, functionality, ergonomics, ecology and durability.

On receiving the award
Twelve years ago, we won our first Red Dot Design Award for the packaging design of a textile brand set up with a small family-run workshop. The brand’s products were extremely well made, the result of craftsmen’s skills in producing new textiles on 100-year-old looms, but it was a time when the ability to communicate their value was desperately lacking. I still remember entering the Red Dot Design Award as I struggled to find ways in which I could help to raise the awareness and value of the product.

The Red Dot Design Award is a trusted design award that values recognition for designs that lead to solutions to social issues. It is also an award that promotes awareness of design as a natural and necessary force in society. The award is given to the person or organization that commissioned the design and the designer who responded. Although often misunderstood, the awards are not just for designers. It is also a high evaluation from a global perspective for those who commissioned and implemented the design to propel modern society forward. This overarching appreciation of the project creates trust, and trust turns into value and drives society – design is also directly related to the economy, which is one of the main drivers of society. Receiving a Red Dot Design Award is not a goal but a process, a means to connect and build on the next phase of activities, including economic activities.

Since winning our first award 12 years ago, we have received recognition for our logo, product and installation designs, and including the two we have received this year, this is the eighth time we have won a Red Dot Design Award. The awards ceremony we attended was of the highest quality, carefully prepared with a purpose in every detail. While it was a glamorous ceremony, there was a consensus towards addressing the pressing issues on the earth through design, such as climate change, war, and the coronavirus pandemic.

This year’s Grand Prix was awarded to Tsubame-Sanjo Factory Museum – an exhibition that tells the story of the activities of a metalworking production area and presents it to the world on the site of a former factory of over 2,000 m2. Last year, the Grand Prix was awarded to Mesh Virus-Control Flag Partition – a new partition proposed for the coronavirus pandemic using a mesh material combined with new virus control technology. In a situation where it’s no exaggeration to say that the times are changing, winning the Grand Prix for the second consecutive year in a row is both a joyous and sobering event and proof that we have faced social challenges.

Participating in the world’s largest design event Milano Salone for ten years, exhibitions in London and Paris, and cultural education activities in Switzerland and Singapore, all successes and failures, together with clients, have resulted in experiences that have shaped our thinking.
By facing and designing for society and its people, we have created circumstances for the future to unfold. We are honored to receive this award and are committed to promoting more socially responsible designs.

Spread
 Haruna Yamada & Hirokazu Kobayashi

Please see the press release for more information about the award-winning projects.

A traveling exhibition of “MILESTONES – Margin Designs” was held at Hankyu Umeda, with new contents added from the exhibition held in Kyoto in April this year.

Seven new works were created based on obi designs. At the same time, a program was developed in which visitors could select and order one from each of the 50 obi designs and 7 colors. These two-dimensional works, trimmed into squares and finished with acrylic mounts, were given the NFT and sold. The program also proposed new possibilities for obi designs by creating a skateboard as a contemporary item and a hanging scroll as a traditional item.

We were pleased to be able to offer a wide range of customers, young and old, men and women, a chance to experience the uplifting effects of color.

MILESTONES – Margin Designs”
Hosoo Corporation, a long-established Nishijin textile company, has been working with Kyoto University of Art since 2014 on the “MILESTONES” project to create a digital archive of approximately 20,000 uncolored obi designs. Focusing on the “blank space” design of the obi designs, Shoya Dozono (Computational Designer/Programmer) generated new designs through machine learning, and SPREAD added colors to them. The first exhibition was held at the Kyoto Museum of Traditional Industries in April this year and was well received.

Dates: September 21 (Wed) to 26 (Mon), 2022 Venue: Hankyu Umeda Gallery, Hankyu Umeda Main Store 9F, 8-7 Kakudacho, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0017, Japan Hours: 10:00 – 20:00 Admission: Free

Organizer: Hosoo Corporation, Hankyu Umeda Main Store / Sponsor: DEBIS Corporation / In cooperation with: Epson Sales Corporation, UPBOND Corporation, Skeleton Crew Studio, Metaani, Kyoto University of Art / Director: Masataka Hosoo / Curator: Kumiko Idaka / Space Design: Takayuki Suo / Graphic Design: Spread / Computational Design (AI): Shoya Dozono

This exhibition focuses on Japanese craftsmanship in Hida Takayama and is currently on display at Japan House London, a center for distributing knowledge and information about Japan in the United Kingdom.

Hida Takayama is the collective name for wood craftsmen with a 1300-year history in the Hida region of Gifu Prefecture, where forests cover 92% of the land area. In this exhibition, visitors can see the activities of Hida Takayama, starting with the diverse tree species that grow in the forests of the Hida region. The story continues from the past to the present with tools, culture, woodworking techniques, furniture, household goods, traditional crafts, Buddhist statues, Shinto rituals, and songs. The first thing that appears on entering the exhibition hall is 90 species of tree and a simple ladle against a background of forest photographs. In this display, you will learn how trees have become tools and have helped build human life and how people’s hands have shaped and influenced the diversity of natural forests. Next, the technique of kigumi, the joining and assembling of timber without nails or hardware, surprises visitors while climbing holds that utilise the natural shape of wood suggest the future of design.

The exhibition title, The Carpenters’ Line, contains two meanings. One is the lineage of woodworking in Hida, and the other is a sumi-tsubo –a carpenters’ line– a fundamental Japanese carpentry tool for marking straight lines on wood.

Spread was in charge of everything from research to the key visual, exhibition space and communication design. The key visual for this exhibition is a photograph of a contemporary carpenter working in Hida and a photograph of the forests that support them. These two images have been cut out in the shape of the cross-section of a mountain cherry and winter-flowering cherry tree. The photographs are joined together by a butterfly-shaped piece, representing the technique known as chigiri, which uses wood to hold trees in place. For this exhibition, the key visual was developed for media announcements and use inside the gallery and online. The space is divided by curtains depicting the forests and trees of Hida, which surround the exhibits and visitors. Combined with the venue music composed of the sounds of Japanese forests and Hida craftsmanship, visitors can experience the exhibition as if wandering through the Hida forest. Hida used to be called Yamahida (mountain folds), which is why the curtains also have folds (drapes). The research involved reading and deciphering records that remain today and interviewing various people involved, which led to a process of piecing together the overall picture of Hida’s artisans, who have a long history and many facets to their work. The objects and information uncovered in the process were incorporated into the exhibition, adding depth to the viewing experience.

It is the third time Spread has designed an exhibition for Japan House London, following the success of Biology of Metal: Metal Craftsmanship in Tsubame-Sanjo and Living Colours: Kasane – the Language of Japanese Colour Combinations. This exhibition shows the charm of Hida’s 1300-year-old artisans – please come and experience it in London.

The Carpenters’ Line: Woodworking Heritage in Hida Takayama
Date: 29th of September 2022 – 29th of January 2023
Venue: Japan House London, Basement gallery / 1st-floor show windows and exhibition booths
Address: 101-111 Kensington High Street, London, W8 5SA
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday / 10:00-20:00
Sundays and public holidays / 12:00-18:00
Admission: Free (advanced booking recommended).

Organised by: Japan House London / In association with Takayama City (Hida Takayama Exhibition Promotion Committee), Gifu Prefecture / Planning: Simon Wright (Director of Planning, Japan House London) / Creative direction and project management: method Inc. / Art direction, design and research: Spread / Photography and video: Ayaya Igarashi, Takeshi Kuwahara / Music: Hiromi Saito / Writer: Goaheadworks Inc. / Translation: Zachary Kaplan



Photo：©️Japan House London

The 2022 S/S Makeup Collection of the beauty brand “Celvoke” is starting on January 7^th with the collection theme “New brightness with emotion ~Unfamiliar light and emotional brilliance~”. We are in charge of art direction for key visuals, expressing multi-perspective brilliance such as glitter and metallic.

Celvoke 2022 S/S Makeup Collection
Planning & Development & Sales Agency: Mash Beauty Lab / Brand Direction: Yoko Tagami / Art Direction & Design: Spread / Photography: Akinori Ito (Aosora) / Makeup Art: Mikako Kikuchi (Tron) / Hair Styling: Koichi Nishimura (Vow-Vow) / Styling: Kei Shirahata / Video: Keita Hoizumi / Motion Graphics: Wow / Projection: Tomoya Kishimoto / Music: Hiroki Saitoh

Dezeen, based in the UK, is the world’s most influential web-based design magazine. It has been hosting the Dezeen Awards since 2018, celebrating the best architecture, interior design and design achievements from around the world. The judges are architects, curators, artists and others of various professions and specialties. There were more than 4,300 entries from 84 countries for this awards.. We are very happy to announce our inclusion in the longlist.

Dezeen Awards 2020
SPREAD
Designer of the year longlist

For this ‘new normal’ period influenced by COVID-19, we created a banner partition with a screen function under the theme of “Mebae” (sprout). It has been on display at INTERSECT BY LEXUS – TOKYO in Minami Aoyama, Tokyo, since Thursday, July 29 2020. A mesh fabric, used in medical fields and for automobile interiors, is the material used for the screen. The material is coated with “Cufitec®”, a new virus and bacteria control technology that prevents secondary infection from viruses. Our aim is to bring new life to a space using the power of color, and to make a comfortable environment for people to engage in new communication.

“SPROUT” for INTERSECT BY LEXUS-TOKYO
Press release
Date: From July 29th, 2020 (Wednesday)
Venue: INTERSECT BY LEXUS ‒ TOKYO
Location: 4-21-26 Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0062
Planning: Mika Takizawa (Dentsu Live Inc.)
Mesh manufacturing: NBC Meshtec Inc.
Frame manufacturing: STOKA Co., Ltd.
Press: daily press
Photo: Ooki Jingu
Planning and Design: SPREAD

Celvoke, a total beauty brand, released the 2020 A/W Makeup Collection nationwide on August 1. With “Energy in conjunction” as its collection theme, it uses images of two models to express the united beauty of individuals, despite differences such as age, gender and nationality. Please enjoy discovering a world interlaced by light and shadow, bright and dark, and positive and negative.

Celvoke 2020 A/W Makeup Collection
Collection Video
website
Planning/ Development/ Sales agency: Mash Beauty Lab Co., Ltd.
Brand Director: Yoko Tagami (Mash Beauty Lab Co., Ltd.)
Photographer: Akinori Ito (AOSORA)
Makeup artist: Mikako Kikuchi (TRON)
Hair artist: Koichi Nishimura (Angle)
Stylist: Rena Semba
Video: Keita Hoizumi
Music: Hiroki Saitoh
Art Direction & Design: SPREAD

British public broadcaster, the BBC, posted a special article, “Design’s new happy mood”, on their culture and design website series, “designed”. The article highlights the creative use of bold colors and patterns to inspire positive moods. There is a coverage report on SPREAD, along with introductions to “Life Stripe” and “HARU stuck-on design;”. It also depicts studio works featuring colors from around the world, including Spain and Australia. Please take a look.

Design’s new happy mood by Clare Dowdy
website
Listing Studio: SPREAD, Morag Myerscough, etc.
Edit: Clare Dowdy
Media : BBC.com

The video of the “Roppongi Color Canyon” installation, exhibited at the “Tokyo Midtown DESIGN TOUCH” design event that was held at Tokyo Midtown last October, has been completed. With a “soaking in colors” concept, we aimed to blend colors and the landscape through a vivid mesh fabric. We hope the colors make your days brighter.

Tokyo Midtown DESIGN TOUCH Roppongi Color Canyon
Installation video
Date: October 18 – November 4, 2019
Venue: Tokyo Midtown, Midtown Garden
Organizer: Tokyo Midtown
Video: Ooki Jingu, Kazuhiro Kodaira
Music: Hiroki Saitoh
Production: waki process Inc.
Fabric：NBC Meshtec Inc.
Art Direction and Design: SPREAD

“Life Stripe”, produced and presented since 2005, is an artwork that replaces everyday actions with 21 colors and expresses these using a striped pattern. To create a varying range of patterns, we have been collecting memories of a single day in different lives, from babies to the elderly, and have also delved into the lives of various creatures, from insects to animals. So far, over 150,000 memories have been documented. With the recent spread of Coronavirus, we began to question the effects of this on our everyday lives. We saw this as the perfect opportunity to start our research on life after the Coronavirus pandemic, and have already produced and presented several works.

We truly appreciate your participation and cooperation with our project as we continue to collect memories of a single day in different lives.

Life Stripe
Questionnaire (Japanese) download
Questionnaire (English) download Website
Website

In cooperation with the “Virtual Design Festival” hosted by Dezeen, the design platform, ALCOVA, presents a program of interviews with eight international studios, including SPREAD. Our interview has been released online (English only). We hope you enjoy the article and learn more about the history and concept of SPREAD.

FROM ALCOVA WITH LOVE
Virtual Design Festival（Dezeen）
ALCOVA

Dance Base Yokohama（DaBY）is an institution dedicated to establishing a professional environment for dancers, with a creative hub to nurture dance-related creators through various projects. We are looking forward to your participation in our trial performances and workshops.

Dance Base Yokohama
Website
Opening: June 25, 2020
Address: KITANAKA BRICK&WHITE BRICK North 3F, 5-57-2 Kitanakadori, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
Organizer: SEGA SAMMY ARTS FOUNDATION
Artistic Director: Eri Karatsu
Space design: Hirotaka Isshiki + Narumi Ozawa + Shiori Mori + ondesign
VI, promotional design: SPREAD

We had a workshop for the art teacher invited by the Ministry of Education last year, and as the second time of the workshop we did this in a real school.

AXIS Web Magazine’s series “Daily ‘Corona and Creative'” has started. This is a series that introduces “Creative activity research for new coronaviruses”, which starts gradually from the end of February and continues as a studio activity from the beginning of April, once a day.

Daily ‘Corona and Creative’

“Stay Home coloring book” production

Factory Festival hold an exhibition “ROOTS OF METALCRAFT: Tsubame-Sanjo, Niigata, Japan” at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) in Singapore.

ROOTS OF METALCRAFT : Tsubame-Sanjo, Niigata, Japan
Date: February 15 – March 22, 2020
Venue: Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts（NAFA） Campus 1, Ngee Ann Kongsi Gallery1&2

Biology of Metal exhibition won Gold (Grand Prize) at German Design Award 2020. We participated in the ceremony in Frankfurt.

We participated in the award ceremony as the final judge of the Taiwanese design award “GOLDEN PIN DESIGN AWARD” with a history of 38 years.

A Slice of Niigata Food Culture
Experience Gastronomy with Tsubame-Sanjo
Date: November 15 – 20, 2019
Venue: Japan Culture Center

“Haru stuck-on design;” (Nitoms, Inc.) won gold, and “ROOTH 2-3-3” (Be The One Co., Ltd.) won silver in the “DFA Design for Asia Awards 2019”, hosted by the Hong Kong Design Centre. Although the award ceremony was cancelled due to the deterioration of the situation in the region, we are very happy to have received the ‘double prize’ in these awards which advocate for and emphasize the contribution of design in enriching the lives of people in Asia.

DFA Design for Asia Awards
Website
HARU stuck-on design; (Nitoms, Inc.)
ROOTH 2-3-3（Be The One Co., Ltd.）

A solo exhibition by SPREAD take place at (PLACE) by method starting from October 31st to November 23rd, 2019. Through this exhibition, as an attempt to their next creative step, SPREAD deepened their knowledge of the aesthetics behind the contrast of colors, which resulted in a work under the theme “Ornamental Contrast”.

Ornamental Contrast
Date: October 31 – November 23, 2019
Venue: (PLACE) by method

Landscape Architect Ryoko Ueyama’s drawing archive exhibition “Prospective Landscape: A Retrospective. Drawing Exhibition ‘Vortex’” started.

Prospective Landscape: A Retrospective.
Drawing Exhibition ‘Vortex’
Date: October 19 − 26, 2019
Venue: Architect’s House Hall

A interview with SPREAD is published in the web magazine “Roppongi Future Conference”.

Hosted at Tokyo Midtown every Autumn, “TOKYO MIDTOWN DESIGN TOUCH” is an annual event under the concept of “Enjoying design with all five senses”. Creative unit SPREAD was assigned to create an installation which they entitled “Roppongi Color Canyon”, for the events main content the “Design Forest”. Under the concept of “flooded with colors” SPREAD will cover the garden area of Tokyo Midtown to create a canyon of vibrant colors using fabrics with an overall length of 1km, portraying the ever changing views of the nature. Changing sunlight, and sudden waves of color surfaces. Embraced with colors, we hope for the viewers to enjoy their conversation with this color-scape.

Tokyo Midtown DESIGN TOUCH “Roppongi Color Canyon”
Installation by SPREAD
Date: October 18 − 11.4, 2019
Venue: Tokyo Midtown
Organizer: Tokyo Midtown

The Tsubame-Sanjo Factory Festival is an event held in Tsubame-Sanjo (Niigata), an area known for metalworking, blacksmithing, carpentry.During the event, factories normally closed to the public will open their doors to offer tours and workshops.

Tsubame-Sanjo Factory Festival
Date: October 3 – 6, 2019.
Locations: Sanjo-Tsubame, Niigata Prefecture

A interview with SPREAD is published in the September issue of the magazine “Discover Japan”.

Dezeen announced the longlist of Dezeen awards, with our studio name.

The collaboration exhibition “After-Image” of “INTERSECT BY LEXUS” and “HARU stuck-on design;” has started.

After-Image
Date: June 19 – July 30, 2019
Venue: INTERSECT BY LEXUS-TOKYO

The exhibition “Biology of Metal” held in Japan Hoouse London last year has been shortlisted to D&AD.

HARU is used on the top image of the Milan Design Week 2019 secret spots at ELLEDECO.com.

Grand Seiko returns to Milan Design Week with the theme “THE NATURE OF TIME,” at the Poldi Pezzoli Museum.

Grand Seiko
THE NATURE OF TIME
Date: April 9 – 14, 2019
Venue: Poldi Pezzoli Museum
Graphic design: SPREAD

Hold an exhibition of HARU stuck-on design; entitled “Color Appreciation” at ALCOVA, Milan Design Week 2019. We mix various beautiful contrasts such as light and dark, city and nature, life and death…

HARU stuck-on design; Color Appreciation
Date: April 9 – 14, 2019
Venue: ALCOVA

“LIVING COLORS: Kasane – the Language of Japanese Colour Combinations “, which introduces dyeing and weaving works that express the traditional colors of Japan and the changing subtleties of the season, is held at Japan House London.

Living Colours: Kasane – the Language of Japanese Colour Combinations
Date: April 5 – May 19, 2019
Venue: Japan House London

We designed “Rain and Caterpillar” and “Thunder and Crab”, a collaboration product with Mmakoto Kagoshima and Hida Sangyo. The two works have been expanded to rocking chairs, sofas and cushions.