Riso Kagaku Corporation, known in Japanese as 理想科学工業株式会社 (Risō Kagaku Kōgyō), is a Japanese manufacturer of digital duplicators and high-speed inkjet printers. The company was founded in 1946 as a mimeograph printing business and adopted its current corporate name in 1963. Its English-language brand name, RISO, derives from the Japanese word “risō,” meaning “ideal.”
Design and History
The current RISO logo and wordmark were created in 1980 by the Japanese graphic designer Shigeo Fukuda (福田繁雄), a figure widely recognized for his poster art and optical illusion designs. Fukuda’s work for Riso Kagaku is documented in the company’s own history materials, which state that he “verleiht RISO das heute bekannte Logo und seinen Schriftzug” (gave RISO its now-familiar logo and lettering) in that year.[1]
Fukuda’s association with the company predates the logo itself. A screenprint titled “Graphic Symbols: Riso Kagaku Corporation,” dated 1979, is held in the collection of the Center for Contemporary Graphic Art (CCGA) in Japan. The work was donated by Fukuda’s bereaved family in 2009 and is catalogued in the 1987 exhibition “4-G.D: Posters and Marks” organized by The Yomiuri Shimbun.[2]
The company’s current visual identity, as registered in trademark records, consists of a stylized word “RISO” accompanied by a circular device. The mark features a black circle containing a white oblong shape with three white circles, one positioned at the top of the oblong.[3] A separate registered mark shows a stylized “R” over which a circle is placed, all contained within an outer circle.[4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The company name itself carries documented meaning. Founder Noboru Hayama chose the name RISO-SHA (理想社, “Ideal Company”) in 1946, under the strong impression of the war’s end. Hayama wanted to preserve ideals in his business, believing that without ideals, there was no future for the people of Japan.[1] The company’s official English-language profile similarly explains that RISO was founded as a mimeograph printing company and later expanded into ink development and printer manufacturing.[5]
For the company’s 80th anniversary in 2026, Riso Kagaku introduced a commemorative symbol. According to the official anniversary site, the design is based on RISO’s corporate colors and expresses gratitude through a ribbon motif. The three interconnected circles represent connection with customers, the three-dimensional numerals evoke continuous rings and symbolize the enduring continuity of the business, and the colorful gradient represents diversity in business and personnel.[6]
Typography and Design
Documented details about the typography of the RISO wordmark are limited. The trademark registration describes the mark as consisting of the stylized word “RISO” paired with the circular device positioned to its left.[3] The company’s corporate colors are referenced in the 80th anniversary symbol description, which states the commemorative design is “based on RISO’s corporate colors,” though the specific color values are not published in the sources reviewed.[6]
Shigeo Fukuda (1932-2009) was one of Japan’s most influential graphic designers, known for his work in poster design and visual illusion. His 1980 logo for Riso Kagaku has remained in continuous use, making it a lasting example of corporate identity design from that era of Japanese graphic design.[1]
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