Kenya Hara

Kenya Hara (原 研哉, Hara Ken'ya; born 1958) is a Japanese graphic designer, curator and writer from Okayama prefecture, Japan. He is a graduate of the Musashino Art University. Hara joined Nippon Design Center after graduating from master's program at Musashino Art University in 1983. He is employed by the Musashino Art University as a professor and taught Communication Design and Design Theory in Science on the Design Faculty since April 2003. Hara is one of the leading designers in Japan and his books Designing Design and White are recognized as important in the fields of design theory and aesthetics. Hara has been the art director of Muji since 2001 and designed the opening and closing ceremony programs of the 1998 Winter Olympics. In 2008, Hara partnered with fashion label Kenzo for the launch of its men's fragrance Kenzo Power. He designed the official posters for EXPO 2005 Aichi, created the signage system for the Umeda Hospital, the visual identification for the Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum, worked on a new design for the Matsuya department store in Ginza, and participated in other design projects. In 2021, Hara partnered with Xiaomi, designing a new logo for the company, which was unveiled on 31 March 2021. Hara and his company converted the previous square logo into a combination of a square and a circle. He earned $300,000 from the project.