Igarashi's Animals
When I was a kid, I used to draw animals all the time— cats, dogs, and birds to name a few. I’d fill up my homework assignments with them, sometimes turning them into imaginary brands or sports teams. I never thought much of it. It was just something I loved doing. So when I found out that Takenobu Igarashi had also been illustrating animals since his student days, it made me smile. We had that in common.
Takenobu Igarashi passed away earlier this month just a few weeks after the design world had lost another legendary designer in Woody Pirtle. This news gave me the idea to write about the Japanese artist. Igarashi, born in 1944, wore many hats over the course of his career—graphic designer, educator, sculptor, editor, and product designer. In the ’70s and ’80s, he became known for his axonometric alphabets and his corporate identity work . Later in life, he shifted away from commercial design and leaned into sculpture, making large-scale stone works that felt like cousins to his earlier letterforms. But of all his work, his animal illustrations he designed in the 70's are what I was drawn to the most.
A rhino, an elephant, a peacock, a lion, a crab, a dog, a snake—they are all full of charm and personality. He didn’t just draw animals—he reimagined them. He gave them form and feeling through the simplest shapes. My favorite of the bunch is the elephant. It’s bold but gentle, geometric yet playful. It actually reminds of an elephant logo I designed back in college. I'm in no way comparing my work to his—but it’s nice to know that we were both drawn to the same shapes, the same kind of simple magic.
Igarashi once said, “My approach to design and sculpture has always wavered between my wish to do something useful for society, and my desire to create something beautiful with my own hands.” I think that balance is what made his work so special. His animal illustrations, for example, weren’t just decorative—they sparked imagination and inspired creativity. They were beautiful, yes, but they also made you pause, smile, and maybe even want to draw something yourself.
“My approach to design and sculpture has always wavered between my wish to do something useful for society, and my desire to create something beautiful with my own hands.”
For someone with such a wide-reaching impact, Igarashi remained humble and modest. He didn’t chase fame or attention. He just kept making things—quietly, thoughtfully, beautifully. It’s strange to feel connected to someone you’ve never met. But I think that’s what great design does. It reaches you. It stays with you. He never stayed in one lane. He explored. He reinvented. And through it all—whether it was sculpting stone or drawing an animal—his work kept that same sense of joy and curiosity. That’s rare.
Logo concept I designed in college. Elephants are known to have one of the best memories in the animal kingdom.