GRAPHIC ANIMAL PROJECT: The Japanese Koi carp is the ?first animal graphic project. For two hundred years, breeders in the province of Nigata have been patiently cross-breeding fish solely in order to create new motifs which will s wim in enthusiasts’ pools. Matt or metallic, monochrome or multicoloured, the carp become a palette of colours and materials which can be mixed to obtain what the Japanese call “living jewels”. Once stabilised, the motif is given a name and becomes a new line in its own right. So far a hundred and twenty lines have been identified. The most famous of them is the Tancho carp which is nothing more nor less than a reproduction of the Japanese flag: a white carp whose head is decorated with a red spot. This animal graphic design project works on two creative levels. First of all the breeder who creates the fish, then the purchaser who will mix the various motifs in his pool to obtain a choreography of shapes and colours whichis pleasing to the eye.