Classic Logo: Urban Frontier – Tokyo ‘96
The logo proposals created in 1991 for Urban Frontier – Tokyo '96.
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The ‘Urban Frontier Movement’ was a new city planning initiative beginning in the early 1990s and advocated for by the Metropolis of Tokyo. It was founded with the intention of imagining and creating the ideal cities of the future.
The first public event of the movement, ‘Urban Frontier – Tokyo ‘96’, would be held in the city between March 24 - October 13, 1996 under the theme of ‘Meeting the Challenge of the 21st Century City’. This would be the first time these new visions of city living would be presented to the public.
The facilities and functions of ‘Tokyo Teleport Town’, a newly developed area situated on reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay, would be a demonstration of these new ideas, and would be introduced to both national and international visitors as one part of a multi-frontier vision for Tokyo.
In addition, planning projects of cities in other countries and state-of-the-art technologies for city living which would benefit the lives of citizens would also be exhibited. In tandem, a number of cultural exchange programs as well as events and attractions were created to inspire others and excite residents.
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The Tokyo Frontier Association organised a public competition among a select number of designers to find an appropriate symbol for the ‘Urban Frontier – Tokyo ‘96’ exhibition. With such a visionary and global ideal in mind the association invited eight internationally recognised designers to submit between 3 to 10 proposals by February 2, 1991.
Designers invited to participate included Ikko Tanaka (Japan), Ken Cato (Australia), Jun Chan (Korea), Shigeo Fukuda (Japan), Milton Glaser (USA), Grapuus (France), Saito Mokoto (Japan) and Rosmarie Tissi (Switzerland).
Designers were given free reign to interpret the theme of urban expansion and development, the location by the bay and the national and international audience, but were required to limit the design to only one or two colours.
The designs submitted were highly varied, with motifs such as water, sun and architecture playing an understandable part. Many of the design reflected the unique character of the designers themselves, the introduction of dtp to design and a post modern sensibility.
The winning design, created by Ikko Tanaka, was selected by the ‘Symbol Mark Selection Committee’. It depicted a pool of water, conveying the waterfront location of the Expo and the notion of expansion and the ripple effect of new ideas. This logo was officially revealed to the public in March, 1992, and used in the lead up to the event.
Although the Expo was cancelled before its scheduled opening due to the collapse of the Japanese bubble economy, Tanaka’s logo for the event remains a celebrated example of late 20th-century Japanese graphic design.
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