Yusaku Kamekura (1915-1997) was one of Japan’s most prolific graphic designers. He is probably best-known for his 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games posters as Japan was still culturally shaken from the aftermath of the WWII, and Kamekura was tasked with creating a successful poster campaign to propel his country into the post-war design elite.
He has created countless magazine and book covers, signs, and prints. For his exhibition ‘The Universe of Curved and Straight Lines: Designs by Yusaku Kamekura’ he received the 25th Mainichi Arts Award in 1983. And I’m not sure how he picked up this one, but his nickname was “The Boss”…
I really enjoy his colorful brand of minimalism. His works gain a lot of depth with empty space and carefully placed lines.
You can find more of his work here – a blog dedicated to the history of graphic design in Japan.
This book published in 1973 covers two decades of his best work in the fields of posters, magazine & book covers, neon signs, and other graphics.
Images from the book can be found here.
-RSB
