Cultural journey, this time Japan

Cultural journey, this time Japan, the country where I learned a lot from my youth when I first started to learn about the resort industry, about the art of joinery timber, about the typical Japanese ergonomics in design

When mentioning Japan, it is impossible not to mention the art of resort. From the quiet Zen gardens, where every stone and every blade of grass is meticulously arranged to create absolute harmony, to the traditional onsen (hot springs), where people seek relaxation and purification of both body and spirit. All are imbued with the Zen philosophy, promoting minimalism, tranquility and connection with nature.

I learned that resort is not just about luxury or comfort, but also about creating a space where people can truly find peace, recharge and connect with themselves. This has shaped my perspective on designing relaxing spaces, prioritizing comfort, sustainability and harmony with the surrounding environment.

The traditional Japanese art of carpentry, also known as Joinery Timber, is a living testament to meticulousness, patience and masterful technique. Instead of using nails, screws or glue, Japanese carpenters have developed hundreds of complex wood joints, connecting wooden planks together firmly and beautifully. Each joint not only ensures the durability of the structure but is also a work of art that contains ingenuity and intelligence. Learning about Joinery Timber has taught me the importance of precision, durability and beauty in every detail. It encourages me to seek design solutions that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly practical and capable of maintaining value over time.

Ergonomics is the science that studies the relationship between humans and the working environment, aiming to optimize comfort and efficiency. The Japanese have applied ergonomics deeply into their lives, from arranging compact but convenient living spaces, to designing everyday items to best suit the human body. The attention to the smallest details to create the best user experience is something I always appreciate and learn from.

My knowledge of Japanese ergonomics has helped me realize that design is not just about creating beautiful things, but also about creating useful, easy-to-use things that bring maximum comfort to users. That is why I always put users at the center of all my projects.

Japan is not just a country, but a great school. Their cultural values, philosophies and traditional techniques have opened up a new worldview for me, shaped my career path and inspired me to constantly learn and create. The cultural journey with Japan will continue to be an important part of my life and work.

World class vision between N.Q.Khanh and N.Foster

The similarities between Mr. Nguyễn Quốc Khanh (Chairman of AA Corporation, specializing in high-end interior fitting and manufacturing) and Architect Norman Foster (founder of Foster + Partners, one of the world's leading architectural firms) can be seen through several key aspects:

Global Vision and International Quality

Both individuals have established a high standard of quality and a global vision in their respective fields.

* Norman Foster is famous for his groundbreaking, iconic architectural projects worldwide, always emphasizing technological innovation and sustainability, shaping modern architecture (High-Tech Architecture).

* Nguyễn Quốc Khanh has transformed AA Corporation from a local Vietnamese company into an internationally reputable high-end furniture contractor and manufacturer, completing projects for luxury 5-star hotel chains and resorts across many countries. This demonstrates the ability to compete and meet the rigorous standards of the international market, similar to how Foster’s projects must comply with global requirements for design and engineering.

Pioneering Role and Broad Influence

Both are pioneers who have profoundly influenced the development of their industries in their home countries or regions.

* Norman Foster has been at the forefront of integrating architecture with engineering, promoting a holistic design thinking that is not limited to form but also includes function, environment, and society.

* Nguyễn Quốc Khanh is one of the pioneering Vietnamese entrepreneurs in developing high-end interior manufacturing and export, contributing to raising Vietnam's position and production capacity on the world interior design map.

Emphasis on Innovation and Detail

Although one is an architect (Foster) and the other is an entrepreneur/interior contractor (Khanh), both demonstrate meticulousness, attention to detail, and a spirit of innovation in every product and project.

* Foster's works are known for using advanced materials, complex structures, and flexible, efficient design solutions.

* AA Corporation under Nguyễn Quốc Khanh focuses on high-quality furniture manufacturing, demanding sophistication in craftsmanship and strict adherence to the technical and aesthetic requirements of luxury brands. This shows a common pursuit of absolute quality from the design concept to the final finished product.

Nguyễn Quốc Khanh (Chairman of A Corporation) and Architect Norman Foster (Founder of Foster + Partners) share notable similarities rooted in their respective influences on the built environment, despite their different primary focuses (interior fitting/manufacturing versus architecture). Both figures are defined by their visionary leadership and the successful translation of high design standards into large-scale, influential projects. Khanh, whose background includes an architecture education, has grown A Corporation into a major force in high-end interior contracting and manufacturing, demonstrating a commitment to precision, quality, and material innovation that is essential in executing complex architectural visions. Similarly, Foster is renowned globally for his High-Tech and modernist architectural philosophy, which champions technological integration, structural clarity, and a rigorous, detail-oriented approach to design. Both leaders preside over international companies that operate on a global scale, handling prestigious and complex projects that require a seamless integration of design, engineering, and execution. Finally, both men represent a synthesis of creative and entrepreneurial excellence, having built their firms from the ground up to become leaders that shape the aesthetics and functionality of modern urban and interior spaces worldwide.

Farewell to Jim Parkinson,

Farewell to Jim Parkinson, typography legend, who passed away at 83.

Jim Parkinson, a titan in the world of typography, died on June 26, 2025, in Oakland, California, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. He was 83. Parkinson was the mastermind behind the iconic *Rolling Stone* logo, redesigned in 1977, which became one of America’s most recognizable cultural symbols. His work also shaped logos and typefaces for major publications like *The New York Times*, *Los Angeles Times*, *Esquire*, and bands such as Creedence Clearwater and The Doobie Brothers.

Born on October 23, 1941, in Oakland, Parkinson’s passion for hand-lettering began in childhood, inspired by typography manuals. He graduated from the California College of Arts and Crafts in 1963 and worked at Hallmark Cards before becoming a freelance artist. His *Rolling Stone* logo, with its distinctive elongated “R” tail, remains a hallmark of his legacy, used from 1977 to 2018.

Parkinson is survived by his wife, book artist Dorothy Yule, and leaves behind a monumental legacy in type design. A memoir is set to be published by Letterform Archive later this year, with a memorial planned for the fall.

Rest in peace, a visionary who shaped the visual identity of generations.

Jackson Pollock

Jackson Pollock (born January 28, 1912, Cody, Wyoming, U.S.—died August 11, 1956, East Hampton, New York) was an American painter who was a leading exponent of Abstract Expressionism, an art movement characterized by the free-associative gestures in paint often called “action painting.” During his lifetime he received widespread publicity and serious recognition for the radical poured, or “drip,” technique he used to create his major works. Among his contemporaries, he was respected for his deeply personal and totally uncompromising commitment to the art of painting. His work and example had enormous influence on them and on many subsequent art movements in the United States. He is also one of the first American painters to be recognized during his lifetime and after as a peer of 20th-century European masters of modern art.

Paul Jackson Pollock was the fifth and youngest son of Stella May McClure and LeRoy Pollock, who were both born and raised in Iowa and of Scotch-Irish extraction. LeRoy’s original surname was McCoy before his adoption about 1890 by a family named Pollock. The family left Cody, Wyoming, 11 months after Jackson Pollock’s birth; he would know Cody only through family photographs. Over the next 16 years his family lived in California and Arizona, eventually moving nine times. In 1928 they moved to Los Angeles, where Pollock enrolled at Manual Arts High School. There he came under the influence of Frederick John de St. Vrain Schwankovsky, a painter and illustrator who was also a member of the Theosophical Society, a sect that promoted metaphysical and occult spirituality. Schwankovsky gave Pollock some rudimentary training in drawing and painting, introduced him to advanced currents of European modern art, and encouraged his interest in theosophical literature. At this time Pollock, who had been raised an agnostic, also attended the camp meetings of the former messiah of the theosophists, Jiddu Krishnamurti, a personal friend of Schwankovsky. These spiritual explorations prepared him to embrace the theories of the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung and the exploration of unconscious imagery in his paintings in subsequent years.

In the fall of 1930 Pollock followed his brother Charles, who left home to study art in 1922, to New York City, where he enrolled at the Art Students League under his brother’s teacher, the regionalist painter Thomas Hart Benton. About this time Jackson dropped his first name, Paul. He studied life drawing, painting, and composition with Benton for the next two and one-half years, leaving the league in the early months of 1933. For the next two years Pollock lived in poverty, first with Charles and, by the fall of 1934, with his brother Sanford and his wife in Greenwich Village.

Pollock was employed by the WPA Federal Art Project in the fall of 1935 as an easel painter. This position gave him economic security during the remaining years of the Great Depression as well as an opportunity to develop his art. From his years with Benton through 1938, Pollock’s work was strongly influenced by the compositional methods and regionalist subject matter of his teacher and by the poetically expressionist vision of the American painter Albert Pinkham Ryder. It consisted mostly of small landscapes and figurative scenes such as Going West (1934–35), in which Pollock utilized motifs derived from photographs of his birthplace at Cody.

In 1937 Pollock began psychiatric treatment for alcoholism, and he suffered a mental health crisis in 1938, which caused him to be hospitalized for about four months. After these experiences, his work became semiabstract and showed the assimilation of motifs from the modern Spanish artists Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró, as well as the Mexican muralist José Clemente Orozco. Jungian symbolism and the Surrealist exploration of the unconscious also influenced his works of this period; indeed, from 1939 through 1941 he was in treatment with two successive Jungian psychoanalysts who used Pollock’s own drawings in the therapy sessions. Characteristic paintings from this period include Bird (c. 1941), Male and Female (c. 1942), and Guardians of the Secret (1943).