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describes himself as a schoolteacher and periodic table designer. He has created versions of the table that adorn everything from clocks to a traditional Japanese coat and even a school bus.

This year, the 150th anniversary of the table’s invention by Dmitri Mendeleev (“The true story of the birth of the periodic table, 150 years ago”), has been designated by the UN as the international year of the periodic table. And Nawa’s creations featured at the opening ceremony in Paris last month: Yuri Oganessian, the only living person to have an element named after them, was photographed holding a fan with one of his periodic table designs.

Nawa takes his love for periodicity further than most, although there is something about it that appeals to many of us. People have designed periodic tables of cupcakes, Star Wars, cereal and David Bowie, to mention just a few. But what is it about the table that makes it so iconic and worth lauding?

One answer lies in how it makes sense of nature. Each type of atom, the fundamental building blocks of matter, is laid out neatly in order of ascending atomic number – the number of protons in its nucleus. As if by magic, a periodically repeating pattern in their properties emerges. As a visual symbol of how reason helps us understand the material world, there is nothing quite like it. It stands for completeness and order.

The truth, however, is that the order is disputed and the table is almost certainly incomplete. Arguments are raging over elements that don’t quite fit the pattern and whether such anomalies warrant a sweeping redesign (“Three reasons why the periodic table needs a redesign”). In Russia, a facility is about to begin hunting the biggest atoms ever observed, extending the table into virgin territory (“Inside the Russian factory making the heaviest atoms in the universe”). The story of the most beautiful table in science is worth celebrating, but it is far from finished.

Check out the rest of our special on the 150th anniversary of the periodic table: 

• Try our crossword
• Discover the favourite elements of some top scientists and share your own
• How well do you know the periodic table? Try our quiz