I love Google Doodles, not only because they’re adorable but because I’ve learned about so many woman through these tiny interactive designs, from scientist Eva Ekeblad to architect Zaha Hadid to sculptor Edmonia Lewis. These are all women I didn’t know about until they appeared on my browser, and it’s always a delight to start my day with a tribute to a trailblazing woman that I should know about to expand on a too-often male-centric history.
Today’s doodle celebrates Eiko Ishioka, who’s won an Oscar, Grammy and two Tony nominations for her designs. “From print ads and album covers to costumes for film, theater, and the Olympics, the iconic Japanese designer did it all during her decades-long career — often unlike anyone before,” writes the description. Beginning in graphic design when “few women were in the industry,” Ishioka was the talent behind the costumes of Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), the cover for Miles Davis’ Tutu (1986), and the set/costumes for M. Butterfly on Broadway—just to name a few.
Today would have been Ishioka’s 79th birthday. She passed away in 2012, and was posthumously nominated for an Academy Award for Tarsem Singh’s Mirror Mirror. Google writes, “Her early print ads evoked many of the same themes that would later define her costume design: bold, surreal, and consistently unexpected.” Ishioka’s work was truly unlike anything else, and going through her works will inspire creativity in anyone. My favorite might be Lucy’s vampire outfit in Dracula, what about you?
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