Economic Pressures Reshape Japanese Design: From Potato Chip Bags to Paper
Japanese design, particularly in packaging, is undergoing significant changes due to economic and political instability. In late May, Calbee launched monochrome packaging for fourteen of its products after the Iran war disrupted naphtha supplies essential for colored ink. Similarly, JA Nakanoshi intends to cut its packaging options from 110 to approximately 55. Since 2020, the yen has depreciated by 52% against the US dollar, creating challenges for design amid stagnant wages and increasing costs. In 2021, Tomoegawa Corporation discontinued its paper division, shifting its formulation to Sanzen Paper. Rising expenses are affecting printers and specialty shops, while constraints are inspiring creativity. However, the article notes that declining design quality makes care a luxury.
Key facts
- Calbee introduced monochrome packaging for fourteen products from late May due to petroleum ink shortages caused by the war in Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz.
- JA Nakanoshi, Japan's largest mushroom producer, plans to cut packaging varieties from 110 to roughly half.
- The yen has weakened by about 52% against the US dollar since 2020.
- Tomoegawa Corporation phased out its paper division in 2021, transferring Tomoe River paper to Sanzen Paper Manufacturing.
- Yamamoto Paper curates endangered paper stocks as writing pads, warning they may disappear.
- Printers report rising costs for ink, parts, and paper, and specialty finishing shops are closing.
- Art director Taeko Isu used ribbon binding and a single spot color for a zine to save costs.
- Architect Suzuno-san of Torafu Architects now considers cost from the first sketch.
- Calbee announced a half measure: color returns to the front of packaging, while the back remains monochrome.
- The article suggests that the default quality of design is worsening, and caring is becoming a privilege.
Entities
Artists
- Ray Masaki
- Taeko Isu
- Suzuno-san
- Ema Gasper
- Watanabe-san
Institutions
- Calbee
- JA Nakanoshi
- Tomoegawa Corporation
- Sanzen Paper Manufacturing
- Yamamoto Paper
- Torafu Architects
- It's Nice That
- Printpack
- Graphic
- Printing Museum, Tokyo
- Takeo Paper Mihoncho Aoyama
- Kakimori
- Think of Things
- Kokuyo
- Parsons School of Design
- The Cooper Union
- Vermont College of Fine Arts
- Professional Institute of International Fashion
Locations
- Shibuya
- Tokyo
- Japan
- Iran
- Strait of Hormuz
- Aoyama
- Shinjuku