Reviewing works of design (and art) from a logical point of view. Written by Masa Kudamatsu, PGDip at Inchbald School of Design (interior design, 2015) and PhD at London School of Economics (economics, 2007)

UI design review: Speculating why Material Design rejects card-flipping animation

It must be because flipping a card cannot be consistent with the illusion of depth created by the rest of Material Design’s UI.

MasaKudamatsu

Jun 20, 2021

Kastehelmi dinner plate

Morning dew that never evaporates.

MasaKudamatsu

Jun 14, 2021

Riverside Museum

Zaha Hadid’s clever design for a museum of transportation

MasaKudamatsu

Jun 9, 2021

UX review: Tableau Online

How easy is it to get started with Tableau Online, the web app edition of one of the most widely used data visualization tools? Here’s my…

MasaKudamatsu

Mar 17, 2021

Data visualization guideline: Get the chart type right for your data

Tell me what data you have. I’ll show you which chart type you should choose to visualize your data.

MasaKudamatsu

Mar 15, 2021

Interpreting the garden design of Koho-an Temple (孤篷庵)

Let me take you to a virtual tour of the lesser-known masterpiece rock garden in Kyoto that transports you to an imaginary lake sailing.

MasaKudamatsu

Jan 22, 2021

Stacked bar chart for approval ratings over time

How the visualization of approval and disapproval ratings must be done with missing data clearly shown

MasaKudamatsu

Nov 22, 2020

Press Freedom Index map

A great example of data visualization

MasaKudamatsu

Nov 21, 2020

Evernote 10’s user interface renewal is shockingly bad

I’ve been a long-time user of Evernote, ever since 2011, with over 23,000 notes in total. So you can say I’m one of its loyal customers.

MasaKudamatsu

Oct 27, 2020

Kyotographie 2020 exhibition of Wing Shya’s photography

How exhibition design can incorporate the venue’s characteristics

MasaKudamatsu

Oct 17, 2020

Art review: Destroyed House Kyoto

Marjan Teeuwen’s architectural installation tells us to embrace the demolition of historical houses as a beautiful part of our life.

MasaKudamatsu

Oct 15, 2020

Font review: Ushio (the bespoke typeface for a sea resort hotel)

How a font can make us buy a service

MasaKudamatsu

Sep 30, 2020

Font review: Higashiosaka Font

How a font can represent the characteristics of a locality

MasaKudamatsu

Sep 30, 2020

Writing left-to-right

Why most of us today write left-to-right

MasaKudamatsu

Aug 24, 2020

Film poster for “To ja zabiłem” by Waldemar Swierzy

How a grim topic like death can be visualized attractively

MasaKudamatsu

Jul 11, 2020

Exhibition review: Sueharu Fukami versus Raku Kichizaemon XV at Sagawa Art Museum

I’m a big fan of Raku Kichizaemon XV for his creativity firmly based upon tradition.

MasaKudamatsu

Mar 12, 2020

Kyoto’s sweet for March 3rd: Hichigiri (引千切)

The 3rd day of the 3rd month of the year has historically been a special day in East Asia. In Japan, it has become a day for wishing girls…

MasaKudamatsu

Mar 3, 2020

Art review: “Off – Internet” by Kengo Hoshi

As the satellite events of Artists’ Fair Kyoto 2020 (which itself was unfortunately canceled due to the corona virus concerns), several…

MasaKudamatsu

Feb 29, 2020

UI design review: neumorphism

Neumorphic UI design has gone viral over the past few months. To understand what it is and the extent to which it is useful, I’ve done a…

MasaKudamatsu

Feb 15, 2020

Kohei Nawa’s art installation at the Museum of Kyoto

Lighting design can completely change art exhibition space.

MasaKudamatsu

Jan 23, 2020

Tea bowl by Kazuhiro Fukushima

How a tea cup provides a great user experience.

MasaKudamatsu

Dec 20, 2019

Spatial design review: Koto-in zen temple

The best piece of garden and interior design in Kyoto

MasaKudamatsu

Nov 25, 2019

Tobi-ishi (Stepping Stones in Japanese Gardens)

The most innovative feature of experience design of the Japanese gardens

MasaKudamatsu

Nov 25, 2019

Daijo Shrine (Japanese emperor’s enthronement ritual site)

How ancient Japan visualized the unification of western and eastern parts of the islands.

MasaKudamatsu

Nov 23, 2019

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