When Culture and Context Collide

Take a bow Tom Pigeon. The minimalist designs crafted by the Scottish design studio for Team GB’s Tokyo 2020 campaign, reflect something much deeper than the iconic Olympic Games taking place in the land of the rising sun. 

On the surface, inspiration is derived from the shapes created by athletes as they perform their various disciplines, represented by circles and arcs. At the centre of these motion-infused designs is the red circle from the Japanese flag, calling out to Tokyo 2020. However, when you delve a little deeper you discover that, either by sublime coincidence or insightful genius, the studio has applied an ancient Japanese approach to craft, to their design. 

Shibui is characterized by simplicity in shape, tranquility of surface and mellow somberness of colouring. Wabi indicates a quality more intangible than Shibui and reflects the formless or spiritual component of art, often manifested as negative space or void, representing the infinite in a way that more rational and controlled forms cannot. The Tom Pigeon designs incorporate both these culturally relevant methodologies in a marriage of the past and present that is simply brilliant. As a communication piece, this reflects a revered aspect of the host’s culture and value system, enabling cultural consideration within the craft and enormous context to the creativity. Respect.