Japanese Graphic Design

From product advertisement posters known as bijin-ga after the "beautiful women" featured in them to evocative, painterly self-promotional work by aspiring graphic designers, the graphic line has always been of paramount importance in Japanese art. Since the Meiji Restoration at the end of the nineteenth century, Japan has seen phenomenally rapid development in its production of graphic artwork – for products, exhibitions, theatrical performances and public amenities.

This book, the product of many years of research, traces the history and development of the graphic image in Japan from its roots in ukiyo-e woodblocks and early e-kanban posters, through modernization and the considerable influence of art schools in Europe and the USA, to the current highly sophisticated design and printing techniques which reign supreme in Japan today.

The author analyses in detail all the major events and personalities which have contributed to this extraordinary flowering of design in Japan over the last hundred years, drawing on first-hand interviews with many of the most important figures practising today. Japanese Graphic Design reproduces in lavish illustration the best work of the century, including many contemporary designers who have up until now remained relatively unknown and unpublished in the West. It will be an invaluable reference for all who are interested in the graphic image, and will make a major contribution to our understanding of Japanese art and culture.