# Kawaii Design

> Japan's culture of cuteness, which grew from 1970s teenage rounded handwriting and shōjo fancy goods into a global design language through Sanrio, character merchandise and emoji. Its decisions are simple and consistent: rounded forms, oversized heads and minimal faces, pastel or candy colour in flat fields, scattered hearts and sparkles, and friendly rounded type.

- Period: 1970–present
- Where: East Asia
- Origin: Tokyo, Japan
- Branch: Postmodern
- Also known as: Cute culture, Kawaii bunka, Fancy goods style
- Page: https://stylogeny.com/styles/kawaii/

## How it works

- Round every corner and terminal: blobs, pills, soft outlines and rounded type.
- Draw characters with oversized heads, small bodies and minimal faces with dot eyes and tiny or absent mouths.
- Use pastel or candy colours in flat fields, with a single saturated accent such as a red bow.
- Scatter hearts, stars, sparkles and sweat drops to signal emotion.
- Present the character frontally on a plain ground so it reads as a mascot, sticker or icon.

## Its design choices

Defining choices make the style, characteristic ones are usual, occasional ones turn up now and then.

### Layout & composition
- [Isolated object](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/isolated-object/) (characteristic)
- [Central symmetry](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/central-symmetry/) (characteristic)
- [All-over field](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/all-over-field/) (occasional)

### Space & hierarchy
- [Single focal point](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/single-focal-point/) (characteristic)
- [Repetition & rhythm](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/repetition-and-rhythm/) (characteristic)
- [Horror vacui](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/horror-vacui/) (occasional)

### Typography
- [Rounded sans](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/rounded-sans/) (defining)
- [Hand-lettering](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/hand-lettering/) (characteristic)
- [Ornamented display](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/ornamented-display/) (occasional)

### Colour
- [Pastel](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/pastel/) (defining)
- [Flat fields](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/flat-fields/) (characteristic)
- [Full polychrome](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/full-polychrome/) (characteristic)
- [Light ground](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/light-ground/) (characteristic)
- [Fluorescent & neon](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/fluorescent-and-neon/) (occasional)

### Form & shape
- [Rounded & pill](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/rounded-and-pill/) (defining)
- [Stylised figuration](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/stylised-figuration/) (defining)
- [Squiggles & confetti](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/squiggles-and-confetti/) (characteristic)
- [Pictogram](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/pictogram/) (occasional)

### Surface & texture
- [Flat](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/flat/) (characteristic)
- [Gloss & highlights](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/gloss-and-highlights/) (occasional)

### Ornament
- [Cosmic & celestial](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/cosmic-and-celestial/) (characteristic)
- [Abundant decoration](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/abundant-decoration/) (occasional)
- [Emblems & badges](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/emblems-and-badges/) (occasional)
- [Floral & vegetal](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/floral-and-vegetal/) (occasional)

### Imagery
- [Comic & cartoon](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/comic-and-cartoon/) (characteristic)
- [Flat vector illustration](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/flat-vector-illustration/) (characteristic)
- [Pattern & repeat](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/pattern-and-repeat/) (characteristic)
- [Icons & pictograms](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/icons-and-pictograms/) (characteristic)

### Medium & production
- [Offset printing](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/offset-printing/) (characteristic)
- [App & OS interface](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/app-and-os-interface/) (characteristic)
- [Textile & craft](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/textile-and-craft/) (occasional)

### Tone & intent
- [Playful & witty](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/playful-and-witty/) (defining)
- [Warm & approachable](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/warm-and-approachable/) (characteristic)
- [Romantic & sensual](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/romantic-and-sensual/) (occasional)

Avoids: Angular & zigzag, Distortion & exaggeration, Dark ground, Earth & mineral, Visual tension, Photocopy & distress, Authoritative & institutional, Agitational & persuasive

Palette: #ffb7c5, #a8d8ff, #b5ead7, #fff4a3, #cdb4ff, #e60033

Typefaces: Maru-ji (rounded teenage handwriting, 1970s), Maru Gothic rounded type (e.g. Morisawa Shin Maru Go), VAG Rounded

Known for: Sanrio (Hello Kitty, designed by Yuko Shimizu, 1974); Rune Naito (shōjo illustration and fancy goods, 1950s–60s precursor); San-X (Rilakkuma, 2003); Shigetaka Kurita (NTT Docomo emoji, 1999); Sebastian Masuda (6%DOKIDOKI, Harajuku; Kyary Pamyu Pamyu art direction)

## Where it comes from, and what it’s close to

- Grew out of: [Taishō Roman & Lyrical Illustration](https://stylogeny.com/styles/taisho-roman.md) (1910–1940)
- Influenced by: [Pop Art Graphics](https://stylogeny.com/styles/pop-art.md) (1955–1975)
- Led to: [Yuru-chara (Japanese Local Mascot Design)](https://stylogeny.com/styles/yuru-chara.md) (2000–present)
- Led to: [VTuber Avatar and Stream Graphics](https://stylogeny.com/styles/vtuber-graphics.md) (2016–present)
- Alike in its design choices: [Emoji Pictographic Language](https://stylogeny.com/styles/emoji.md) (1997–present), 65% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Newtro (Korean New-Retro)](https://stylogeny.com/styles/newtro.md) (2017–present), 63% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Indian Pop-Kitsch Design (Desi Kitsch)](https://stylogeny.com/styles/indian-kitsch.md) (1997–present), 62% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Superflat](https://stylogeny.com/styles/superflat.md) (1993–present), 62% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Illustrated Rom-Com Book Cover (Cartoon Couple Cover)](https://stylogeny.com/styles/illustrated-romcom-cover.md) (2016–present), 55% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Lotería Card Imagery (Mexican Lotería)](https://stylogeny.com/styles/loteria.md) (1887–present), 53% alike

## Real works

- [Sanrio official website (sanrio.co.jp), home page](https://web.archive.org/web/20030201204156/http://www.sanrio.co.jp/): Sanrio Co., Ltd., captured 1 February 2003, Internet Archive Wayback Machine
- [Tomodachi ni yoroshiku: yūjō no shishū (poems of friendship), cover](https://imago.regione.emilia-romagna.it/opac/resource/IMA00157608): Kino Yuri (poems; catalogued as 'Kino, Yoru') and Nagata Moe (illustrations); published by Sanrio, 1980, IMAGO, Catalogo collettivo digitale, Regione Emilia-Romagna (Fondo Sergio Silva, Graphic Prize, Bologna Children's Book Fair)
- [Sanrio Carnival (Famicom game box, CTS-ZV), front](https://archive.org/details/sanrio-carnival-fc-hiresscans): Character Soft (publisher), with Sanrio characters, 1990 (released 22 November 1990), Internet Archive (Gaming Alexandria / VGSC scan of a privately owned box, uploaded 2022 to the folkscanomy collection; no holding institution)
- ["Hello Kitty" gift set with plastic figure and sweets (packaging)](https://berlin.museum-digital.de/object/4183): BIP Holland B.V. (licensee); Hello Kitty © Sanrio Co., Ltd., 2008 (packaging printed © 1976, 2006 Sanrio), Stiftung Domäne Dahlem – Landgut und Museum, Berlin (via museum-digital)

## Sources

- Sharon Kinsella, 'Cuties in Japan', in Women, Media and Consumption in Japan (1995)
- Christine R. Yano, Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty's Trek Across the Pacific (2013)
- Joshua Paul Dale et al. (eds), The Aesthetics and Affects of Cuteness (2017)
- Wikipedia: Rune Naito (assistant to Nakahara Jun'ichi; credited with pioneering kawaii): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rune_Naito

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From Stylogeny (https://stylogeny.com/), an atlas of graphic-design styles by Van Riel Online Services. How it is made: https://stylogeny.com/about/. Cite as: Stylogeny, “Kawaii Design”, https://stylogeny.com/styles/kawaii/