Designing between two languages and traditions, with Keita Takemura

The Brand Identity: Keita Takemura saw the Latin alphabet as shapes long before he read it as language, and that way of seeing still runs through the work of his London-based design studio. Trained in visual communication in Japan and now working for clients across his homeland, France, Italy and the US, Takemura builds identities, posters and print around typography – with work recognised by ISTD, ADC, and the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. He has designed in open homage to Hofmann, Radl and Yokoo, and designed a calendar you have to slow down to read.

In our conversation, Takemura discusses the rhythm Japanese typesetting taught him, the collaborative practice he co-founded with architects and lighting designers in Tokyo, why he shares his references openly, and why clarity isn’t always necessary. Portrait by Holly Whitaker TBI Hi Keita! How are you doing? KT I’m good, thanks! We’ve just launched our new website, and one of my collaborators is visiting the studio from Japan, so it feels like a good moment. Excited to be stepping into a new chapter for the studio. TBI Your work lives between Japanese and European design traditions.

What do you reach for from each? KT My foundation is Japanese. I studied visual communication in Japan and worked at a Tokyo studio when I was starting out, and that’s still there underneath the work. Japanese writing can go vertically or horizontally, and in design, we often mix the two on the same page. That gave me a feel for rhythm in typography, for how letters sit and breathe on a page, that has stayed with me. From European design, the Swiss tradition pulls me in the most. The Latin alphabet has fewer strokes than Japanese characters, and that simpler shape lets you set type in a more direct, bolder way.

You can’t really do that with Japanese, and that’s what excites me about it. Swiss design feels like the clearest example of what the alphabet itself can do. These letters just looked like shapes to me, not language. These letters just looked like shapes to me, not language. TBI English is your second language, but the first in many of your projects. Does that have any impact on your approach? KT I grew up in a country where the language doesn’t use the Latin alphabet, so for a while, these letters just looked like shapes to me, not language.

I read them as words now, but I can still feel that earlier way of seeing them, just as visual forms. In typography, that lets me move back and forth between the verbal and the non-verbal, and I think that’s something you can only really do when you’re designing in a language that isn’t your first. TBI What role does typography play in your practice? KT Typography is at the heart of almost everything I do. I can’t really explain why, it’s just the part of the work I enjoy most. It feels really important to communication, and at the same time, it has so much potential. TBI London is the home of your studio.

How do you feel about the creative culture there? KT It’s hard to put into words. So many of the best creative people are based here, and just being around them keeps me inspired. Tokyo is also a world-class creative city, of course, but when you’re doing graphic design in Japanese, it’s quite hard to put out work that gets recognised by global standards. To reach that level, I felt it made more sense to be somewhere that uses the Latin alphabet. I have clients in Japan, of course, but also in France, Italy and the US, and being based in London makes that international side of the work possible, which I really appreciate.

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The article presents a unique perspective on the intersection of cultural influences in design, which is significant for brand strategy professionals looking to enhance their visual identity through typography.