Graphic Design in Japan - Mapping a Generation

How are younger generations making their mark in the field of graphic design in Japan today? How have various environmental, health, and nuclear crises influenced their practice, and what is the reality of women’s role in the design field? Through field research and interviews conducted by Alexandre Dimos with about twenty designers since 2018, this book maps out a generation of Japanese graphic designers born between 1970 and 1990.

Of Japanese designers, Western audiences are familiar only with the most prominent figures, such as Tadanori Yokoo and Ikko Tanaka. Since World War II, independent designers and advertising agencies have shared commissions, and many of their works have accompanied the country’s economic development beginning in the 1960s. However, nearly seventy years later, what has become of the work of a generation seeking to assert its uniqueness amid mass production?

Through a presentation of the work and careers of some twenty designers, this book sets out to showcase the practices and the role played today by this generation. This subjective selection highlights the diversity of contemporary graphic design practices in Japan and offers a sampling of original works previously unseen by European audiences.

Featuring Allright (Yui Takada), Kazunari Hattori, Midori Hirota, Yoshiaki Irobe, Atsuki Kikuchi, Kitasenju Design, Aiko Koike, Daito Manabe, Rikako Nagashima, Mariko Okazaki, Tomohiro Okazaki, Shun Sasaki, Syunichi Suge, Tezzo Suzuki, Mina Tabei, Yuri Uenishi, UMA/design farm (Yuma Harada), Bunpei Yorifuji