20 Years of Complex "Maneki-Neko" Designed by NIGO®

Inspired by Japanese buyer’s guides and featuring a unique double-cover format, the first issue of Complex magazine was released in May 2002. This new graphic, created by NIGO® in celebration of 20 years of Complex, is a reminder of those origins.

NIGO® was inspired by “Edomoji,” a traditional lettering style used in Sumo wrestling and seen on traditional Japanese signs and clothing. In Japan, you often see stickers on shrines in a similar hand style, which was a traditional form of “tagging” or “sticker-ing” called “Senjafuda,” a way to show you had visited a certain shrine or religious site—truly a link from the past to the present.

The Maneki-Neko is known to bring good luck and fortune.