Ikko Tanaka - Japanese Graphic Designer

Designer: Ikko Tanaka

Ikko Tanaka was born in 1930 in Nara City. He graduated from the Kyoto School of Fine Arts in 1950 and worked for several companies, including the Osaka Economic Newspaper, before co-founding Nippon Design Center, Inc. In 1963, he established his own firm, the Ikko Tanaka Design Office.

Tanaka’s awards include a silver medal from the Warsaw International Poster Biennial, the Mainichi Design Award, the New York ADC Award, the Tokyo ADC Membership Award, the Mainichi Art Award, and the Japan Cultural Design Grand Prix.

Articles Featuring the Work of Ikko Tanaka

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Japanese modern design was heavily influenced by European art movements, particularly modernism and the Bauhaus school. As Japan's advertising industry expanded, it increasingly drew from Western culture, especially television and film, resulting in designs that were eclectic, vibrant, and infused with modernist energy.

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Ikko Tanaka (田中一光, 1930–2002) was a celebrated Japanese graphic designer. His client list included Mazda, Hanae Mori and Issey Miyake, Expo '85 in Tsukuba, World City Expo Tokyo '96, and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

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