Colours of optimism
Sunday morning Colour Talk with June Mineyama – Smithson
On Sunday June 18, 2023, our guest was June Mineyama – Smithson, a Japanese artist and graphic designer on a mission to spread optimism through bold colours and shapes.
Can you promote mental wellbeing with shapes and colours? How do you create a mural that captures children’s energy without sensory overload? Artist, graphic designer, and lecturer June Mineyama-Smithson (MAMIMU) shares her view with real-life case studies.
MAMIMU (June Mineyama – Smithson) is a London-based artist and graphic designer on a mission to spread optimism through bold colours and shapes. She is a lecturer at UAL, D&AD and Colour in Design Awards judge, and speaker at Design London, Birmingham Design Festival and Design Manchester.
Combining the philosophy of Japanese Kimono artisans and Postmodern wit, she creates bold joyful patterns from seemingly mundane scenery from London, Tokyo, New York and wherever she goes.
June’s passion for colours and shapes started in her childhood in Tokyo. From the late-70s groovy patterns to the 80s bright colours, she was always surrounded by bold joyful things. She aims to spread the optimism she felt as a child, with a contemporary twist. She is interested in combining art and science to find the ‘Optimum Optimism’. Her collaboration with neuroscientist Dr Tara Swart resulted in the creation of on-screen idents for ITV.
Her work has been featured internationally on ITV, Creative Boom, Cow Parade Niseko, SCMP and Design Milk. For more about her work see www.mamimutokyo.com. You can also follow her work on Instagram.
IG/Twitter/FB @mamimutokyo