Polygon Pictures Inc. is a Japanese 3DCG animation studio founded on July 22, 1983, in Minami Aoyama, Tokyo, and is recognized as one of the oldest digital animation studios in the world.[1][2] The company’s visual identity centers on a tomoe symbol, a traditional Japanese comma-shaped motif, which the studio uses to express how individual originality is converted into the power of the collective through assertiveness.[1]
Design and History
Polygon Pictures’ logo features the tomoe, a symbol of festivity in Japanese culture. The company describes the mark as representing a cycle: individuals help each other grow, and each individual further strengthens the collective, much like numerous hands holding up a heavy mikoshi (a portable Shinto shrine carried during festivals).[1]
The studio’s on-screen logo animation, which has been in use since October 25, 1993, depicts a group of multicolored squares circling together with the words “POLYGON PICTURES” set below in black.[3] This CGI-animated ident reflects the studio’s core focus on computer graphics production.
While some sources have attributed the Polygon Pictures logo to Japanese designer Takenobu Igarashi, no official documentation from the company or from Igarashi’s own archive confirms this attribution. Igarashi’s documented logo clients include Suntory Hall, Meiji Milk, Oji Paper, Noritz, Tama Art University, JR Tower (Sapporo), Summit Stores, Mitsui Bank, PARCO PART3, and Calpis Food Industry, but Polygon Pictures is not listed among them.[4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The tomoe in the Polygon Pictures logo carries specific documented meaning. The company states that it uses the tomoe, a symbol of festivity, to express how individual originality is converted into the power of the collective through assertiveness.[1] This symbolism aligns with the studio’s stated values of originality, assertiveness, and the power of the collective, which the company describes as a cycle of mutual growth and cooperation.[1]
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