Japanese graphic designer Ryu Mieno creates type-heavy works fizzing with energy

Ryu Mieno is a Japanese graphic designer whose bold use of typography and lettering shows a confident flair for composition. Used together with illustration, heavy pattern and fluid shapes, the resulting works are fizzing with energy and bustle.

Ryu grew up in the Hyōgo Prefecture of Japan before moving to study graphic design at Kyoto Seika University, and now resides in Kyoto working as a freelance designer. He’s completed poster commissions for art galleries, movie production houses, restaurants and retail, as well as working on logo designs and signage.

One of his projects, Alternative Train, shows train stations from another point of view, combining photography and a busy collection of text. “I made a rubber stamp for the title line and wrote the rest by hand,” he explains. “The layout was irregular to represent the conditions of a noisy or clamorous train station.”

Another, Sound Performance, was made for a music festival and aimed to depict the spirit of the event. “I tried to visualise the physical interaction between the music and people, using the script and the sound swirl.”

Ryu says his practice is inspired by “observation of natural form and shape – the veins of a leaf, wood grain, the skin patterns of a fish,” which he transposes to symbols and typography. “I like that exchange between nature and art."