# minä perhonen (Hand-Drawn Textile Graphics, Akira Minagawa)

> A Tokyo label's textile graphics in which small hand-drawn birds, butterflies, forests and rings are repeated in loose, quiet rows, often embroidered so the stitching stays visible. It takes up the Nordic everyday ideal of Finnish bold print but reverses its scale: small embroidered hand marks, delicate and densely repeated, against one huge flat screen-printed motif in strong colour. The lineage from Finnish bold print is loose; the craft is Japanese and hand-made.

- Period: 1995–present
- Where: East Asia, Northern Europe
- Origin: Tokyo: the label minä (1995–2003) was renamed minä perhonen ('I, butterfly' in Finnish) in 2003, making clothing and interiors from textile designs drawn by Akira Minagawa and in-house designer Keiko Tanaka, under the concept of "special ordinary clothing"; the embroidered tambourine motif was first released in 2000.
- Branch: Rational modernism
- Also known as: minä perhonen, mina perhonen, minä (1995–2003), Tambourine pattern
- Page: https://stylogeny.com/styles/mina-perhonen/

## How it works

- Start every motif as a hand drawing and keep its wobble instead of tidying it into geometry.
- Repeat small figures such as birds, butterflies, flowers and rings across the whole cloth in loose rows.
- Render pattern in embroidery or fine print so the hand and stitching show.
- Limit colour to one or two muted tones on a soft ground.
- Keep presentation calm, with plain wool or cotton grounds.

## Its design choices

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

### Layout & composition
- [All-over field](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/all-over-field/) (defining)
- [Organic flow](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/organic-flow/) (occasional)

### Space & hierarchy
- [Repetition & rhythm](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/repetition-and-rhythm/) (defining)
- [Flat hierarchy](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/flat-hierarchy/) (characteristic)
- [Generous white space](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/generous-white-space/) (occasional)

### Typography
- [Lowercase only](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/lowercase-only/) (occasional)
- [Humanist sans](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/humanist-sans/) (occasional)

### Colour
- [Limited spot colours](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/limited-spot-colours/) (defining)
- [Analogous harmony](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/analogous-harmony/) (characteristic)
- [Light ground](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/light-ground/) (characteristic)
- [Flat fields](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/flat-fields/) (characteristic)
- [Pastel](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/pastel/) (occasional)
- [Earth & mineral](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/earth-and-mineral/) (occasional)

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

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

### Ornament
- [Floral & vegetal](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/floral-and-vegetal/) (characteristic)
- [Restrained accents](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/restrained-accents/) (occasional)

### Imagery
- [Pattern & repeat](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/pattern-and-repeat/) (defining)
- [Line illustration](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/line-illustration/) (occasional)

### Medium & production
- [Textile & craft](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/textile-and-craft/) (defining)
- [Pen, brush & ink](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/pen-brush-and-ink/) (defining)

### Tone & intent
- [Calm & contemplative](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/calm-and-contemplative/) (defining)
- [Warm & approachable](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/warm-and-approachable/) (defining)
- [Playful & witty](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/playful-and-witty/) (occasional)

Avoids: Fluorescent & neon, Gradients, Gloss & highlights, Illusion of depth, Straight photography, Optical pattern, Ironic & self-aware, Agitational & persuasive, Rectilinear

Palette: #f1ece2, #d9cfc0, #9aa7a0, #c98f86, #3f4a5a

Typefaces: Lowercase sans-serif wordmark (minä perhonen), No signature typeface; the pattern, not the type, carries the style

Known for: Akira Minagawa, 'tambourine' embroidered ring pattern (first released 2000; Kvadrat Tambourine on Nanna Ditzel's Hallingdal, 2006); Exhibition 'minä perhonen / minagawa akira TSUZUKU', Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 16 Nov 2019 – 16 Feb 2020 (in-house designer Keiko Tanaka credited); minä perhonen / minagawa akira: Tsuzuku (Seigensha, 2020)

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

- Grew out of: [Finnish Bold Print (Marimekko Modernism)](https://stylogeny.com/styles/finnish-bold-print.md) (1951–present)
- Influenced by: [Muji No-Brand Design (Mujirushi Ryohin)](https://stylogeny.com/styles/muji-no-brand-design.md) (1980–present)
- Influenced by: [Scandinavian Functionalism](https://stylogeny.com/styles/scandinavian-functionalism.md) (1930–present)
- Influenced by: [Serizawa Katazome and Mingei Stencil-Dye Graphics](https://stylogeny.com/styles/serizawa-katazome.md) (1927–present)
- Alike in its design choices: [Festival of Britain 'Contemporary' Pattern (Lucienne Day and the Festival Pattern Group)](https://stylogeny.com/styles/festival-contemporary-pattern.md) (1951–1960), 68% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Batik Pattern Tradition](https://stylogeny.com/styles/batik.md) (1600–present), 60% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Josef Frank and Svenskt Tenn Botanical Prints](https://stylogeny.com/styles/josef-frank-svenskt-tenn.md) (1934–present), 59% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Nieuwe Kunst (Dutch Art Nouveau)](https://stylogeny.com/styles/nieuwe-kunst.md) (1892–1914), 55% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Islamic Geometric & Calligraphic Tradition](https://stylogeny.com/styles/islamic-geometric.md) (c. 690–present), 51% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Chinese Paper-Cut (Jianzhi)](https://stylogeny.com/styles/chinese-paper-cut.md) (c. 500–present), 50% alike

## Sources

- http://www.mot-art-museum.jp/en/exhibitions/minagawa-akira-tsuzuku/
- https://www.stylepark.com/en/kvadrat/tambourine-hallingdal
- https://en.seigensha.com/books/978-4-86152-764-7/
- https://www.wallpaper.com/fashion/mina-perhonen-exhibition-tokyo

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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, “minä perhonen (Hand-Drawn Textile Graphics, Akira Minagawa)”, https://stylogeny.com/styles/mina-perhonen/