Postcards
(Magazine Dezain No Gemba 2005 New Year's postcard, and four other items) (2004)

Client: Dezain No Gemba Editorial Division
2005 D&AD (British Design & Art Direction), Graphic Design Category, Bronze Prize
2005 NYADC (New York Art Directors Club), Merit Award

2005 New Year's postcard for the magazine Dezain No Gemba

This card was preferred over several other proposals Takahashi made after being given full freedom to design them. (Unselected proposals will be uploaded on another occasion, as they were all fun designs.)

This is how it works: the recipient of the postcard gets a red yarn along with the card with holes, mailed to him/her. He/she chooses one of the New Year's greetings printed on the address side of the card and inserts the yarn into the holes, following the instructions specifying the locations of the holes for the yarn to pass through. When completed, images reading "2005," "Tori (year of the rooster)," or an auspicious knot appears. The instructions on how to make these three designs were given simply as an example on the address side of the card, as numerous characters and symbols could be created using the holes and the yarn.

Coming up with these creative ideas is what Takahashi is best at.