Reading Kenya Hara's White gave me an better understanding of the colour. Through his detailed explanations, white is a colour that has extreme depth and unique qualities that set it apart from all the other colours. White is an important colour in Japanese culture and with it comes the varied connotations from perfection to the cycle of life and death. Understanding more about the colour white will hopefully help in my practice. Not only how to use the colour but how to work with the negative space or choosing the right shade of white for stock.
Whilst reading through Hara's explanations, the reader slowly becomes aware of the design elements of the publication. From the minimal stark white cover to the simple and straightforward layout which allows the content to speak clearly within restraint.
The slightly off white stock used for the inside pages creates better readability as the softer contrast makes it easier on the eyes. And the little detail of having the inside cover page as a slightly more textured stock was overlooked on first glances but appreciated after understanding Hara's views. Overall the book demonstrates tactility and visual depth despite only using one predominant colour.
An interesting point in the book was how the Japanese prefer preservation over newness. New designers are always striving to create something new. He believes that innovation comes from the consciousness of continuing to maintain things as they are, which in turn can achieve perfection. This was explained through papers limitations in showing the mistakes we made whilst writing. Its by showing these mistakes that we force ourselves to repeat the process again in effort to create an example that is "perfect".
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