Happy New Year! It’s become a tradition here at Spoon & Tamago, around this time of year, to share some of our favorite Japanese designer New Year’s cards (prior years can be found here).
Of course, not everyone sends cards. Some simply post staged photographs. Others painted paintings. One even created a free, downloadable calendar. But even though sending nengajo, as they’re called in Japan, is in a secular decline, we still enjoy bringing them all together here because it gives us a chance to reflect on those we shared a moment with, whether it was intentional or by chance.
Now, prepare yourself for an onslaught of rooster-inspired New Year’s cards.
Illustrator Minoru Arita’s minimal and geometric greeting
Designer Eiko Tamura’s typographic card
A card from Fukunaga Print, who we work with in supplying several stationery items in our shop. Designed by Yasuhiro Suzuki
from art director Yuni Yoshida
Sometimes you just need to print a simple monthly calendar. Hiroshima-based Hyphen’s just work. You can download it here (PDF).
We’re loving this calligraphic card from Individual Locker
Botanic artist Makoto Azuma posted what is presumably a photo of himself staged to look like a hen
Designer Masahiro Minami made a hen out of Jenga blocks, noting that last year him and his child played with them quite often
Freelance designer Mayo’s “Bird Festival”
Graphic Designer Mikiji Nagai created this origami-inspired card that, when folded, reveals the face of a hen
Illustrator and artist Nobumasa Takahashi sketched out this simple but lovable card
Illustrator Numagasa filled his card with trivia and facts about the rooster (there’s a back-side too that we didn’t post)
Illustrator Sakki Jusuke’s quiet and lovely image of a shrine, a woman and a rooster
A vintage-looking rooster from Studio Takeuma
our collection wouldn’t be complete without at least 1 anime-inspired card. This one from illustrator TNSK
Artist Yuki Ideguchi shared with is this composition of a hawk grabbing good luck with its sharp claws
Toho Cinemas riffed on their hit from last year Shin Godzilla (h/t to our Facebook commenter Natalya)
Graphic designer Ken Miki created this stunning pop-out card
This beauty of a snowflake from design studio AQ
