Kawaii
カワイイ / 1970s– / Aesthetic / Pop
Japan's aesthetic of round contours, big eyes, pastel and looseness that summons the urge to protect. From girls' handwriting and fancy goods it softened the surface of an entire society, from public signage to corporate mascots.
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At a glance
Visual cues
- Faces of circles and empty space
- Big eyes, elided mouths
- Pastel softness
- Looseness and defenselessness
Best used for
- Guidance and warnings for children or beginners that must not frighten
- Designing a municipal or corporate mascot meant to last for decades
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Detailed guidance and sourcesProduction rules, reference works, comparisons, research and citation formats
Dictionary entry
- Type
- Rounded gothic, wide letterforms, even stroke weight
- Composition
- One large face centered, space kept clear all around it
- Material
- Desaturated pastel and white, matte rather than glossy
- Caution
- Assuming that bigger eyes and paler color make something cute loses the tension in the contour and leaves only a slack face.
- Further study
- research on maru-moji handwriting / Sanrio's character design / Yomota Inuhiko's theory of kawaii
Related entries
- Decora (デコラ)Shared effects: Play / Intimacy.Compare Kawaii and Decora
- i-mode Emoji (iモード絵文字)Shared effects: Intimacy / Play.Compare Kawaii and i-mode Emoji
Often confused with
More from Pop
Continue through styles in the same Pop family, prioritised by shared effects.
- Tiki Style (ティキ・スタイル)Shared effects: Play / Nostalgia.
- Pop Art (ポップアート)Shared effects: Play.
- Memphis (メンフィス)Shared effects: Play.
Cite this entry
The dictionary is meant to be linked to. Take whichever form fits where you are writing.
- Link
- https://indexstyle.org/styles/kawaii
- Markdown
- [Kawaii — IndexStyle](https://indexstyle.org/styles/kawaii)
- HTML
- <a href="https://indexstyle.org/styles/kawaii">Kawaii — IndexStyle</a>