graphic design, art, typography and architecture

Shin from Kobe, Tomoko from Hiroshima, met at the Kyoto City University of Art. In 1995 they establishes AZUMI Design Studio, London and since then have created some beautifully simple, utilitarian furniture. To better understand their philosophy, it’s interesting to recall Tomoko’s response to a question about her favourite product; one of the products she chose was the humble chopsticks, explaining that despite their simplicity, they are incredibly versatile - that can also be said of much of her design.

Shin Azumi and Tomoko Azumi have now opened their individual design studios, which you can learn more about online, here and here, respectively.

Though a few years old now, the Donkey 3, 2003, is still my favourite piece to come from this talented duo:

It’s the Donkey 3 , because of what it owes to two previous incarnations, the Penguin Donkey (by Egon Riss, 1939) and the Penguin Donkey Mark 2 (Ernest Race, 1963).