Tokyo Midtown Design Hub 116th Exhibition
JAGDA Exhibition 2025
- Year: 2025
- Planner: JAGDA
- Tags: GraphicLocalExhibitions
BASIC INFORMATION
Design work, once centered in big cities, is now spreading to all regions, fostering expressions rooted in a variety of places. The themes faced vary depending on the region and position, and the perspectives that arise from these also vary. As a nationwide organisation, JAGDA focuses on this expansion.
A total of 40 members from all over the country will bring together the expressions they have accumulated in the course of their daily work, visualising the passion of current design. Works that engage with society in diverse ways, transcending region and discipline, are gathered together in one place. Expressions born from each designer's hand are quietly lined up, capturing the current atmosphere. Their overlapping quietly brings to light the current state of graphic design in Japan.
Dates: Friday 3 October – Sunday 26 October 2025
Open daily 11:00–19:00 / Admission free
Venue: Tokyo Midtown Design Hub (Midtown Tower 5F)
Organised by: Tokyo Midtown Design Hub
Managed by: Japan Graphic Design Association Inc. (JAGDA)
Produced by: JAGDA Exhibition Committee (Shogo Kishino [chair], Mina Tabei [vice chair], Junya Kamada, Kako Fujita, and Masashi Murakami)
Logo Design: Mina Tabei
Exhibition Design: Takashi Nakahara
Exhibitors:
Hokkaido | Nana Ohashi, Kazuhiro Kikuchi, Momo Koyama, Nanaya Shinbayashi, Koji Terao
Tohoku | Ji To Zu, Saki Makino, Sayaka Ota, Masaru Ishikawa, Kenji Aihara
Kando-Koshinetsu | Moeno Takekoshi, Toru Aoyagi, Yukihiko Aizawa, Takayuki Nishimura, Naoto Sakiyama
Tokyo | Kazuyuki Ishida, Mitsuki Kashiwagi, Kentaro Sagara, Kizuki Nakano, Tomoko Yamashita
Chubu | Moe Kakimoto, Katsura Matsuzawa, Eiji Sumi, Tomohito Saito, Masao Shirasawa
Kansai | Sakiko Nagasuna, Chihiro Otsuki, Shingo Takehiro, Akiko Masunaga, Satoshi Kondo
Chugoku-Shikoku | Seiki Ishikawa, Satoshi Takijiri, Rie Hiromoto, Koji Ohhigashi, Satomi Ando
Kyushu | Zin Nagao, Kiyo Kamei, Toshinori Yonemura, Shinsuke Ono, Kotaro Tominaga
EXHIBITION DETAILS
Exhibition Statement:
Geothermal Energy of Design
The Japan Graphic Design Association (JAGDA) is a collective of graphic designers who, quite literally, showcase the latest trends in Japanese design. This autumn, member works from across Japan, eager to discover new forms of expression, are gathered in Tokyo.
A future that could soon be handed over to AI, a democracy that feels somehow weakened, and a sense of precarity that the world is on the brink of transformation are seeping into every corner of our lives, causing us to tremble.
Now is a time when a new vision for society is needed. This is a major opportunity for design. What kind of message will Japan's graphic designers deliver, cutting through the cloudy skies?
Everyone is at an equal distance from the world. This simultaneous wave of design will gather across the archipelago. It’s said that all life begins with chaos and heat. It’s our hope that this heat will mark the beginning of a new era of Japanese design.
Copywriting by Takashi Ando (SunAd)
Exhibition Visuals:
The eight regions created their own visuals to publicise the exhibition.
Nana Ohashi | Hokkaido | Art director/graphic designer at April Inc. Originally from Kamisunagawa-cho, Sorachi-gun, Hokkaido, she studied design in Asahikawa and worked as a graphic designer before moving to Sapporo, where she continues to design and create both in and outside of Hokkaido. Instagram: 7_123b
Kazuhiro Kikuchi | Hokkaido | Graphic designer. Born in 1974, he has been working freelance under the name Backyard since 2010. His diverse activities include creating advertisements, signs, logos, and packaging, as well as planning the zine exhibition and sales event Never Mind the Books, and holding solo exhibitions of his own works. He has won numerous awards, including the runner-up prize at the Sapporo ADC Competition & Awards 2023 and 2024. He is also a part-time lecturer at Hokkaido College of Art and Design.
Momo Koyama | Hokkaido | Art director and graphic designer. Born in Sapporo in 1995. After graduating from Tokai University, she joined KD in 2019. Awards: Tokyo TDC Award nomination (2024), JAGDA Award nomination (2024), Japan Typography Annual Jury Award (2023), Catalog Fair Silver Award (2025), Sapporo Art Directors Club Gold Award (2022, 2023), Bronze Award (2023), Member Jury Award (2022, 2023, 2024).
Nanaya Shinbayashi | Hokkaido | Graphic designer at Shuugou. Born in Bibai, Hokkaido in 1995. In addition to designing 2-D graphics and packaging, he also actively produces and exhibits his own original graphics.
Koji Terao | Hokkaido | Born in Tokyo in 1983. After working for several design offices and advertising agencies, he went independent in 2015. As a designer and art director, he is currently active in graphic design, including advertising, branding, web, magazines, and book design. In 2021, he moved from Tokyo to Sapporo and began producing his own artwork.
Ji To Zu | Aomori | Ji-to-Zu (letters and drawings), a design duo of designer and editor, moved here from Tokyo 13 years ago. At first we went into sake brewing as a senior immigrant told us there was no design work like the one we were looking for here, but ended up receiving more design requests than we expected. Lately we have collaborated on large projects with JAGDA members, taught design to high school clubs, and developed new traditional craft products with university students, gradually expanding our design horizons. Graduated from Tama Art University, worked for Seihokei and Bookmark, and now based in Aomori.
Saki Makino | Iwate | Born in Osaka in 1993 and raised in Iwate. Studied design at Iwate Industrial Technology Junior College and gained work experience at a printing company in Morioka. Broadening her horizons through meeting people and creative work, she joined Homesickdesign in 2020. She currently handles a wide range of work, from planning to editing, with a focus on graphics. She values an attitude of listening to voices from diverse positions and drawing out the strengths of the team. She won the Iwate ADC Newcomer Award in 2023 and was selected for the Tokyo TDC 2025 in 2024.
Sayaka Ota | Miyagi | Born in Akita in 1990. She began his career in UI design at a game company, and after the 2011 earthquake, she joined an IT education company in Ishinomaki. She then gained practical experience in special printing at a printing studio in Sendai, and in 2018 she went independent as Little Partner. With the motto of “design that is close to people,” she works on a wide range of projects, from web design to printed materials and illustrations. Since 2020, she has been a part-time lecturer at Sendai College of Design and Technology. Her work was selected for the Japan Typography Annual 2025.
Masaru Ishikawa | Akita | Representative of the design office Mi e ru. Born in Osaka. Graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School in 2000, where he won the Salon de Printemps Prize and Mori Prize. After working for design studios in Germany and Italy, he founded the design unit Mi e ru in 2008. He creates inner branding for regional cities, focusing on V.I. development including signage planning. Associate professor in the Communication Design Major at Akita University of Art since 2021.
Kenji Aihara | Yamagata | Graphic designer, always wandering around in and around design.
Moeno Takekoshi | Ibaraki | Born in 1986 in the former Yasato-machi, Ibaraki Prefecture. After working at Fujishiro Norio Design Office, she became independent in 2018 as a design firm called Asebi Design. She works with local companies and brands, focusing on graphic design and web production, proposing and producing designs that convey the charm of the region. Serves as on a board of Ibaraki Design Promotion Association.
Toru Aoyagi | Tochigi | CEO of Ao, based in Tochigi City, Tochigi Prefecture. He believes that the role of design is to accelerate and transform value, and develops comprehensive creative work by integrating a variety of methods, including graphics, music, and video. As an independent project, he has promoted the rebranding of Shimotsukare, a traditional Tochigi dish with a thousand-year history, and an elementary school in a depopulated area. He also serves as a design advisor appointed by Tochigi Prefecture and as the co-creation director of the Prefecture’s booth at the Osaka-Kansai Expo.
Yukihiko Aizawa | Kanagawa | Born in Yokohama, Aizawa established his own office in 2004, where he focuses on graphic design for logos, packaging, books, advertisements, etc. His major awards include the Red Dot Award (Best of the Best), German Design Award, Pentaward (Gold), and Japan Typography Annual (Best Work).
Takayuki Nishimura | Niigata | Director and designer of Nishimura Design. He discovers strengths through dialogue with clients and develops them from concept design to product and service development. He ultimately handles everything from packaging to graphics for communication tools, working alongside clients to create designs that create new value.
Naoto Sakiyama | Nagano | Born in Tokyo in 1998, raised in Hokuto, Yamanashi. After graduating from the Visual Design Department of Nagaoka Institute of Design in 2021, he joined Field Design. He produces mainly graphic and web work, exploring expressions that apply mechanical mechanisms. He won the Nagano ADC Grand Prix 2023 and the runner-up 2024. He was selected for the U30 category at the International Poster Triennale in Toyama 2024. He is a member of JAGDA and Nagano ADC. He is active in the art book label Komedoco Books.
Kazuyuki Ishida | Tokyo | Born in Osaka in 1993. Graduated from Tokyo Zokei University. After working at Iyama Design, he joined SunAd in 2020. While working mainly in graphic design and advertising, he also works independently. He creates two-dimensional works with a variety of textures, focusing on the relationship between picture and diagram.
Mitsuki Kashiwagi | Tokyo | Born in Kanagawa in 1993, she graduated from Tokyo Zokei University. While still a student, she studied under Nagai Hiroaki and joined his studio, N.G. inc. In 2023, she founded Ito Kashiwagi Design Office with her old friend, photographer Ryoya Ito. She has now joined forces with another old friend, videographer Akira Kaneko, and the three of them work together across genres.
Kentaro Sagara | Tokyo | Born in Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture in 1985. Has lived in Tokyo since 2006. Graduated from the Department of Design, Faculty of Art, Tokyo Polytechnic University. Founded Polarno in 2018. Extending his graphic design skills to various areas, he strives to create things that are as new, beautiful, and meaningful as possible.
Kizuki Nakano | Tokyo | Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1994. After graduating from the Kyoto Institute of Technology with a degree in Information Science and Design Engineering, he completed his graduate studies in Design in 2019 and joined Shiseido in the same year. He became independent in 2024. Based on graphic design, he is involved in branding across the fields of product packaging. He studies the relationship between expression methods and their contexts, and also undertakes independent work.
Tomoko Yamashita | Tokyo | Born in Chiba Prefecture. Graduated from Nihon University College of Art. After working at an advertising production company and Hattori Kazunari Ltd., she is now freelance. She is active mainly in graphic design, including book design, packaging, and advertising. Received the Tokyo ADC Award in 2010. She also began self-publishing in 2009, and has participated in art book fairs both in Japan and abroad. Part-time lecturer at Joshibi University of Art and Design, and a member of the Ozawa Kenji Graphic Band.
Moe Kakimoto | Toyama | Born in Osaka in 1993. After graduating from the Faculty of Arts and Culture at Toyama University, she worked at Stride before going freelance in 2022. She has worked on Toyama City’s tourism PR project “Toyama, the City of Sushi” and the art direction for the Suiboku Museum, Toyama’s special exhibitions in 2022 and 2025. Her major awards include the Toyama ADC Grand Prix, a Tokyo ADC nomination, selections for the International Poster Triennale Toyama, Tokyo TDC, and JAGDA.
Katsura Matsuzawa | Ishikawa | Art director and creative director. Born in Niigata. After working at a restaurant in Tokyo and then as a designer, he worked in production companies before joining the Dentsu Group. He then moved to Kanazawa, Ishikawa, a place he had no ties to, out of a desire to support local areas. He went freelance in 2014 and founded Jade Inc. in 2025. His major awards include the D&AD Wood Pencil, the Gold Award in the Consumer Benefit Advertising Competition, the Japan Sign Design Association Regional Design Award, and the Kanazawa ADC Grand Prix.
Eiji Sumi | Gifu | Born in Gifu City. He designs in all genres, from interiors and architecture to graphics, products, and production. With the theme “Do it all. Do from first to last,” he advocates for the future relationship between designers and clients. In recent years, he has been involved in directing an environmental improvement project launched in Cambodia to solve social problems through design. He is a part-time lecturer at Aichi University of the Arts and Nagoya University of the Arts. He is the JAGDA Gifu Chapter Representative.
Tomohito Saito | Shizuoka | Born in 1983, he spent his teenage years in Australia, during which time he self-taught himself in design. He graduated from Tama Art University’s Graphic Design Department in 2007, and joined Groovisions in the same year. He moved to his hometown of Shizuoka and founded Summit in 2019. Major awards include the Silver Prize at the Japan Package Design Awards 2025, Topawards Asia 2022, and selections for the Tokyo ADC, JAGDA, and Japan Typography Annual.
Masao Shirasawa | Aichi | Born in Nagano Prefecture in 1983, he graduated from the Textile Course at Nagoya University of the Arts. After working at a design studio he launched his own studio Drawrope in 2019, and is currently active mainly in Nagoya. His wide-ranging activities include advertising, independent works, and applying them to textiles. Awards include the Cannes Lions Gold Award/Health Category Grand Prix, New York ADC Silver Award, One Show Gold Award, and Pentawards 2023 Gold Award, as well as selections for Tokyo ADC, Tokyo TDC, and JAGDA.
Sakiko Nagasuna | Kyoto | Born in Nara in 1989. Graduated from the Kyoto Institute of Technology’s Department of Design Management and Engineering. After gaining experience in product planning, design and brand management for household goods at Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten, she founded the design firm Suna in 2018. Utilizing her experience in everything from strategy development to manufacturing, she works alongside creators as a designer, consistently handling everything from brand launch to product planning and design. At the end of 2024, she opened Sunaya, an office and flexible store, in Oyamazakicho, Kyoto.
Chihiro Otsuki | Osaka | He is the representative of Myaku LLC and the type foundry Newtypes. He focuses on art-related promotional art, as well as book design, consulting on CI/VI design for organizations, stores, and brands, and retail font design, working on formulating philosophical foundations from the superficial. He is involved in a wide range of creative activities and independent research, including design, direction, tangible and intangible forms, using a method that interprets text and represents and orchestrates the inherent texture.
Shingo Takehiro | Osaka | Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1978. Established Stripes Inc. in 2016. Pursues designs that capture the essence of uniqueness and maximize value. Major awards received include the Merit Award at the 98th Annual Awards of the New York ADC, the Nomination Award at Asia Pacific Design No. 16, and the Best Work Award at the Japan Typography Annual 2019, 2021, and 2024.
Akiko Masunaga | Osaka | Based on the belief that “designing like painting a picture” is the key, she develops communication design that combines design and creativity while placing importance on the senses. She pursues new possibilities and deeper communication in the spaces and forms that open up between reason and emotion. She has participated in numerous exhibitions, workshops, and lectures related to education, local community, and society. She has been selected and awarded in numerous competitions both in Japan and abroad. At JAGDA, she has been a steering committee member since 2016, and chair of Local Design Committee since 2019.
Satoshi Kondo | Hyogo | Representative of Asatte Design Office. Associate Professor in the Visual Design Department at Kobe Design University. Born in Osaka in 1976. Graduated from the Faculty of Human Development at Kobe University and Intermedium Institute (IMI). He places importance on identifying the problems that need to be solved and aims for sound solutions through design knowledge centered on graphics. His recent works include the renewal of the university past exam collection “Akahon” (Kyogakusha), as well as the V.I. and signs for Kobe Children’s Book Forest and Kobe City Historical Archives (Kobe City).
Seiki Ishikawa | Tottori | Representative of Shuhari Art Design Production in Yonago, Tottori. He is also a director of Cood Creators, an organization working with artists with disabilities, and JAGDA Tottori Chapter Representative. He strives to use design to bring people, vitality, and values to rural and depopulated areas, by working on projects such as branding for agricultural products created by village-based cooperatives, and packaging for products made from abandoned forests.
Satoshi Takijiri | Shimane | Born and raised in Shimane. I hated studying and didn’t go to university, so I was just lazing around until I discovered graphic design, which seemed to suit my personality, and I’ve continued to do it to this day. I do anything that seems fun, not just paper, but also video and web. I’m currently exploring the possibility of creating spaces as well as things. Having joined JAGDA in 2023, I am enjoying broadening my knowledge and horizons as I meet designers from all over the country.
Rie Hiromoto | Hiroshima | Founder of Hinekure Design in her hometown of Kure, Hiroshima, where she seriously plays around with ideas. She takes on anything she can do with joy and excitement — from planning and design to art direction. Her work centers around design, art, and parenting. Recently, she has been expanding her creative activities by joining 3D & Flat-Lab, a collective where design thinking and artistic thinking coexist, and planning and managing varioius events. Member of the Hiroshima ADC, JAGDA, and JPDA.
Koji Ohhigashi | Tokushima | Representative of Ad Fahren, which he founded in 2000. Based in Tokushima, he is involved in comprehensive design, including branding and VI for companies, stores, local governments, products, etc. nationwide. In the future, he would like to be involved in comprehensive design for accommodation facilities, etc. Major awards: Japan Typography Annual Logo Category Best Work Award, Topawards Asia, Tokyo TDC, Pentawards, Japan Package Design Award Selection, etc. His achievements include being featured in books, a lecturer, a speaker, and a competition judge.
Satomi Ando | Ehime | Representative of Mado-wo-Hiraku, graphic designer / branding director. Based in Shikoku, she is involved in planning, design, and photography. She values shaping the thoughts and feelings rooted in local communities and individuals thgough communication design. She is also actively creating spaces where people can gather and connect, by managing “彡 Sen”, a hub renovated from a 160-year-old traditional Japanese house, and co-founding a regional company Crew Tambara. Member of All Japan Club Association.
Zin Nagao | Fukuoka | Born in Saga Prefecture in 1996, he currently lives in Fukuoka. After joining Fontworks (now Monotype Japan) in 2022, he went independent in 2025. He works on typeface design, graphics and animations centered around letters.
Kiyo Kamei | Nagasaki | Born in Nagasaki Prefecture in 1978, she graduated from the Department of Information Design at Kyoto University of Art and Design. She is the art director of Arjuna. Born as the daughter of a Buddhist monk and grew up in Nagasaki, a city with a unique culture, she wants to preserve the good old things, negative legacies, and the intangible voices of people for the future. For her, design is about gaining insight into and visualizing the human heart, which cannot be expressed in words.
Toshinori Yonemura | Oita | Born in Kumamoto Prefecture in 1985. After graduating from the Graduate School of Architecture at Kumamoto University, he studied under Kyohei Sakaguchi, learning about art and life, with a focus on architecture. He became independent in 2013 and has been based in Oita Prefecture since 2016. He specializes in illustrations that explain space, such as isometric, bird’s-eye views, and maps. https://yone.in
Shinsuke Ono | Miyazaki | Graduated from Tokyo Gakugei University’s Department of International Cultural Studies. Designer and creative director, Onokobo Design LLC. He is involved in many regional revitalization initiatives, primarily in Miyazaki Prefecture, including corporate and local government branding, video production, town planning, and tourism promotion. He aims to apply his design primarily to the fields of agriculture and forestry, deepening his understanding of the industry, and continues to grow rice himself in terraced rice paddies in the mountains.
Kotaro Tominaga | Kagoshima | Born in Kagoshima Prefecture in 1973. Representative of Tominaga Design. Graphic designer and art director. Focusing on branding for local governments and local specialties, he works in a wide range of creative fields, including graphic design, video production, and product development.