Even if you have never heard of this designer’s name, you must have seen the brand logos he designed, because many Japanese brands such as Uniqlo, Nissin, SMAP, etc. are all created by him. Japanese people even say that anything designed by him is guaranteed to sell well!
The Tokyo National Museum of Art is holding a solo exhibition for the top designer Sato Kashiwa, showcasing a comprehensive display of his design projects over the past 30 years, including posters, logo designs, brand promotional products, advertisements, and more. Although we were unable to attend the exhibition in person, we can now revisit how this master used personalized design aesthetics to create unique brand images for many brands through the online exhibition!
Sato himself proposed the direction of this exhibition, which is divided into six themes, showcasing different art forms of design such as advertisements, logos, graphic design, branding, and artworks. Sato was attracted to various patterns and symbols in comic books since childhood, leading to various graffiti and collage art experiments. In “THE SPACE WITHIN” area, we can explore the embryonic form of Sato’s creations from his childhood drawings with a naive touch.
Since 1990, Sato has recognized the enormous power of media communication, so he has devoted himself to the advertising industry, starting to create compelling advertisements with various novel and unique promotional techniques. In “ADVERTISING AND BEYOND,” we can see the overwhelming and dynamic promotional style of that time.
Sato has designed highly recognizable logos for many well-known brands in the past, in addition to those mentioned above, brands such as Rakuten, T-POINT, and Seven Premium are familiar to people. Some of these trademarks have been used to this day and are considered symbols of the brand. Although designing a logo may seem simple, it involves many considerations such as brand value, style, and image. This not only requires the designer’s understanding of the brand but also tests how they can use a small space to showcase unlimited creativity. The exhibition transforms these familiar patterns into large-scale paintings and installations, allowing the design patterns to leap out of the commercial world and become unique and artistic creations.
In the theme of “LINES / FLOW,” the exhibits mainly consist of art pieces created by Sato in recent years. The LIENS series uses geometric techniques to create images with regular lines, while FLOW showcases unrestrained brushstrokes through splatter painting. These two completely different styles are compatible in the form of installation art, creating a powerful visual impact between the works.
The trademarks, advertisements, and promotional materials designed by Satoshi Sato undoubtedly enhance the brand’s value and have also deeply resonated with the public. Rather than just creating commercial value, his work symbolizes a part of Japanese culture. Want to know more about the design projects this hidden gem designer has been involved in, as well as his lesser-known artistic creations that are not often seen in public? Don’t miss this online exhibition!
Online exhibition: Kashiwa Sato website
