Welcome to a glimpse of how art and design converge in Japan’s thriving creative scene. In this blog story, we explore these Gold and Silver-winning Poster 2025 projects—an innovative fusion of Bauhaus-inspired aesthetics and modern digital techniques from KINDAI University’s Graphic Art Course. Led by professor and designer Kiyoung An, this collaborative class approach brings real-world industry projects into the classroom, bridging analog artistry and cutting-edge technology. Dive in to see how students and faculty transform ideas into compelling visual experiences.

By: Kiyoung An, Designer & Professor, KINDAI University

I am a professor of the Graphic Arts course at the Department of Art at Kinki University in Osaka, Japan, where I teach design art.

In my Graphic Arts course, we provide an education based on the fusion of art and design. In particular, we fulfill requests for designs from society, companies, and various departments and affiliated organizations of the university as part of classes and assignments.

This course is based on practical application as an industry-academia collaboration, and students experience almost the same process as in a professional design firm. The biggest feature of this course is that you can gain an academic design education and design field experience at the same time.

In a situation where artificial intelligence is evolving rapidly, we are also focusing on education that successfully combines analog art and digital design. To understand this content, we are also focusing on education that combines the art and design education of Germany’s Bauhaus with digital.

These designs were commissioned by a society (company) and were carried out as a class assignment. They are designs that were selected from among the students’ design proposal assignments and commercialized. In other words, the teacher plays the role of art director, and the students play the role of designer.

Examples of Work from the Graphic Arts Course

Design Course Poster Concepts

Born in South Korea, Kiyoung An moved to Japan in 2000 where he graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts after studying a doctoral course in design. He is now a professor at KINDAI University and is part of the Department of the Arts. He is also an established designer and was a judge for the Korea Design Exhibition Award (KIDP). Other competitions he has judged include the Daegu City C.I. Design, the Daedong Bank C.I. Design, the Miyazaki National University Logo Design, and the Etajima City Logo Design.

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