First Published in
Robert Nakata is often spoken of with the same reverential tone reserved for designers like David Carson and Neville Brody. A designer whose work explores the "accidental possibilities of relationships between text and images," Robert has produced award-winning work for clients such as Nike and Microsoft.
Early on in his career, while still at the prestigious Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, Robert made an accidental observation that has informed his working method ever since. Looking at the origins of proportioning systems, and how they had come about, Robert was "fascinated by the fact that there was a huge amount of graphic design work, as well as art and architecture, where people had used classical proportions to enhance meaning via the tension of the relationships between the visual elements."
His work for Nike has been widely praised, and has been the subject of an extensive feature in the luxurious Japanese magazine Idea. This special issue, entitled Idea vs. Wieden & Kennedy, assessed his work in developing Nike's global visual strategy. Proving that design need not only give impetus to big brands, Robert has designed a beautiful series of 80-cent stamps for the Dutch postage service.
Born in Canada in 1960, Robert relocated to the Netherlands after he graduated from Cranbrook. Initially based at Studio Dumbar, Robert is currently affiliated with Wieden & Kennedy advertising agency. He has judged numerous design competitions, most recently being the 2002 Young Guns award.
