Shinzo Noda creates contemporary Japanese graphic design with a twist

Despite the fact that Shinzo Noda freelances for clients such as Nike, Adidas and Supra, most of the work he produces is personal. “I like to explore past subcultures,” says the graphic designer of his dynamic output. Through design, the Paris-based creative explores design history to create projects which immerse the viewer in a specific atmosphere. Drawing inspiration from underground cultures, he mixes illustration and graphic design as harmoniously as possible to create work that feels distinctively Shinzo.

Born in Japan, Shinzo’s venture into graphic design began at an early age. At the tender age of six, he started using design softwares, picking up tips from his mum, who — handily — was also a graphic designer. At university he pursued an interest in engineering but moved away from the discipline after graduating since he “couldn’t find the creativeness that made [him] happy.” And in 2012, Shinzo moved to Paris to venture into a career into his first love; graphic design.

Now a multi-disciplinary designer working across a range of printed mediums, Shinzo’s portfolio includes a bilingual typeface titled Amnezia encompassing both Hiragana and Latin glyphs. In addition, he’s recently collaborated with the Shanghai-based agency Royal Club to create a set of stickers for a Nike On Air event, not to mention he’s also designed a card game and several books for a number of cultural clients.

On top of all this, Shinzo’s also started his own self-publishing house, Masala Noir. The project’s aim is to design and publish books documenting various image archives and with the first three books set to be released this summer, Shinzo tackles exhaustive image archives detailing 70s Soviet radio cards, 80s Japanese hotel tags and 90s VHS and audio tape designs respectively. Consistently prioritising the cultural backgrounds of each project’s context, each and every one of Shinzo’s projects transports the viewer to a distinctive feeling. Whether it’s futuristic type, 80s Japanese industrial aesthetic or contemporary fashion branding; Shinzo’s coherent graphic design output is contemporary Japanese design with a twist.