Japanese graphic design history through scanned and collected artefacts and articles based on modernism, designers, and the evolution of visual communication in Japan.
Japanese graphic design in the postwar era produced some of the most remarkable work anywhere in the world. A fusion of European modernism with Japanese visuals designed by designers including Yūsaku Kamekura, Ikko Tanaka, Kazumasa Nagai, and Kiyoshi Awazu. The archive holds profiles of Japanese designers alongside scanned covers of Idea magazine, Graphic Design (Japan), and the Annual of Advertising Art in Japan.
Membership from £2.49/month unlocks articles researched and inspired by the artefacts in the collection.
Regional Histories, Ephemera, Illustration, Members Only Content
A collected visual record of the Kanto, Chubu and Tohoku Lottery tickets.
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Illustration, Ephemera, Members Only Content, Regional Histories
A collected visual record of the first eight years of Japan’s Rural Medical Care Promotion Lottery.
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Regional Histories, Ephemera, Illustration, Members Only Content
A continuation of my last article: 50 tickets from Japan spanning nearly 50 years (1956–2004). This time it's another 50, spanning 50 years, 1956–2006.
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Ephemera, Illustration, Members Only Content, Regional Histories
50 tickets from Japan spanning nearly 50 years (1956–2004).
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Advertising Design, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories
An overview of Graphic Design from Japan from the year 1960, complemented by 50 scanned images from Annual of Advertising Art in Japan 1960 (Bijyutu Shuppan Sha, 1960).
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Design Archive Feature, Designer Profiles, Members Only Content, Regional Histories
Tadashi Ohashi was at the forefront of Japan's postwar design movement, with his illustrations widely celebrated. In 1952, he became the chief designer for Meiji Seika Confectionery, producing some of his most renowned work.
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Design Archive Feature, Designer Profiles, Members Only Content, Regional Histories
Ryuichi Yamashiro (山城隆) was a Japanese graphic designer and artist, born in Osaka in 1920. He belonged to the same generation of pioneering Japanese designers as Kohei Sugiura, Kiyoshi Awazu, Yoshio Hayakawa, Yūsaku Kamekura, Kazumasa Nagai, and Ikko Tanaka.
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Design Archive Feature, Designer Profiles, Members Only Content, Regional Histories
Kiyoshi Awazu (粟津) was a renowned Japanese graphic designer, known for his contributions across various creative fields including poster design, architecture, set design, filmmaking, and illustration. His unique style was commissioned by theatre groups, design and architecture magazines and various organisations for the covers of book covers and posters.
Read ArticleExplore designers central to Japanese graphic design including Yusaku Kamekura, Ikko Tanaka, Shigeo Fukuda, Kiyoshi Awazu, Tadanori Yokoo, and Hiroshi Ohchi. See also Japanese Modernism and 1960s graphic design history.
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive:
From the graphic design archive: