Design Magazine Vol.234 on Sale October 1！

AXIS Inc (Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and Representative Director: Nobuo Asaka) has released  Design Magazine AXIS (vol. 234) published on October 1, 2025.

COVER STORY

Björn Kusoffsky (CEO and Creative Director, Stockholm Design Lab)

There is no design without strategy, and there is no strategy without design. To make that work, you first need to understand what's the core of the brand.

Even if you're not familiar with the name Stockholm Design Lab, you might recognize its work, such as the branding of Askul's batteries marked with their size numbers, or the branding and marketing of Sigma's mirrorless camera made from machined aluminum, the Sigma BF. Their designs remain in our memory with a quietly appealing aesthetic. Stockholm Design Lab's global clients so far include SAS Scandinavian Airlines, IKEA, Volvo Cars, the Nobel Prize, Coca-Cola, Uber, and Samsung. Their work consistently embodies a simple, minimalist beauty while strongly conveying each company's identity. How is such work created? We visited its CEO and founder Björn Kusoffsky at the Stockholm office.

Feature
What does graphic design convey in an optimized world?

As efficiency, standardization, and AI-generated content rapidly take hold, graphic design is now searching for a new role within an environment that assumes "optimization" as its baseline. At the same time, precisely because of this context, new forms of expression are emerging--ones rooted in human perspectives that cannot be reduced to efficiency, including ethics, storytelling, and emotion. In this feature, we aim to explore the question, "What can design speak of today?" by looking at designers and their practices from around the world. Even in an optimized world, we focus on the potential of design to expand human experience, fuel collective imagination, and shape visions for the future. 

Type of Feeling
The philosophy of emotion-driven typography

Type of Feeling is a new type foundry gathering attention, mainly in the U.S., for its fresh and innovative font design. The project was founded in 2024 by Jessica Walsh, New York-based art director whose clients include creative agencies for brands like Apple and Netflix. As an up-and-coming designer, Walsh's work stands out for its bold, provocative visuals that speak directly to our emotions. We asked her about this collection of "emotion- driven" typography.

Everyday practice
The Ethics of Graphic Design in Action

In an era where automation and aesthetics-driven solutions dominate, Seoul-based studio Everyday Practice offers a thoughtful, values-driven approach to graphic design. Founded by Kwon Joon-ho, Kim Kyungchul, and Kim Eo-jin--who first connected through a university typography club--the studio sees graphic design as more than visual styling; it is a means of civic engagement, ethical reflection, and everyday action. From protest posters and interactive installations to internal reform within the design industry, their work challenges harmful norms while reaffirming the designer's role in shaping society. Their practice is rooted in social responsibility, human-centered thinking, and a commitment to substance over trend.

Bito 　Experiences designed by stories Taiwan creative studio

At Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Taiwanese IT company Tamayama Digital Tech Co., Ltd. presents its pavilion, TECH WORLD. Projected onto a cylindrical screen and displayed across 560 tablets are dynamic visuals of nature and living creatures in motion. The creative studio behind these visuals and mechanical kinetic design is Taiwan-based Bito. We spoke with Bito's founder, Keng Liu, about their approach and challenges in moving seamlessly between static graphics and dynamic motion graphics.

c-album　Graphic Design that Connects Eras and Narratives

Paris is a city where history is not merely preserved in museums; it is a breathing part of the urban landscape. The visual identities of its leading cultural institutions and landmark architectures are a testament to this, shaping the metropolitan's shared consciousness. For this feature, we sat down with c-album, a key figure dedicated to the perpetual task of safeguarding and enriching its rich heritage through graphic design.

Defining Gen Z graphic expression: a survey of its current terrain

Gen Z creators, who have grown up immersed in the digital world, are redefining expression--pioneering new uses of 3D graphics and video while reclaiming visual codes from Showa-era retro through the sensibilities of the 2000s. For insight into the forefront of their unvarnished perspective and expression, we turn to Yutaka Tsukada, a critic who writes widely on the broader field of visual culture encompassing design.

《Roundtable discussion》
Design beyond optimization:
transforming ideas and practice in graphic design
Kensaku Kato x Kiyonori Muroga x Natsuko Yoneyama

How has the push for optimization and efficiency affected the graphic design industry? Framing the discussion around the cases presented in this feature, we explore the present landscape and future outlook through the perspectives of graphic designers Kensaku Kato and Natsuko Yoneyama, along with the editor of Graphic-sha Publishing, Kiyonori Muroga.

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