Do you prefer looking at images or reading text more? Opening social media platforms, you will always see various pictures. In order to grab the public’s attention, graphic design plays a very important role!
Graphic design is a medium of communication and expression that primarily uses “visuals” as a means of expression, conveying ideas or messages through various visual methods, including the combination of symbols, images, and text, as well as the use of professional skills such as visual arts and typography. This year, PMQ and the Japan Graphic Designers Association (JAGDA) are once again collaborating to hold the annual Graphic Design in Japan 2023 (Hong Kong Edition) exhibition, showcasing a grand display of different Japanese design masterpieces, with over 300 pieces, making it the only overseas exhibition outside of Japan!
About Japan Graphic Designers Association (JAGDA)
The Japan Graphic Designers Association (JAGDA) is one of the largest graphic designer associations in Asia, established in 1978. JAGDA utilizes the power of graphic design to improve communication environments through various activities, including publishing yearbooks and design publications, organizing exhibitions and seminars, engaging in community revitalization work, advocating for design and copyright-related policies, and promoting international exchange.
To recognize and document outstanding graphic design works of the year, one of the important tasks of the association is to compile and publish the annual “Graphic Design in Japan” yearbook! Starting from 1981, a strict design selection is conducted every year, showcasing notable works in various fields such as posters, symbols, logos and fonts, book and layout design, packaging design, environmental and spatial design, sharing the achievements of various design fields in Japan and abroad, highly valued internationally.
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Design starts from the innocence of children
The selected works on display this time include the 25th Kamekura Yusaku Award winner Tomohiro Okazaki, Haruka Misawa, as well as the works of designers such as the JAGDA Newcomer Award winner Yoshiko Fujita and Naoki Yagoshi!
The 25th Kamekura Yusaku Award winner is the popular Japanese designer Tomohiro Okazaki, known for his prolific work. Following his 2019 JAGDA Newcomer Award, he won the 25th Kamekura Yusaku Award for the opening animation he created for the sequel of the show “Ah! Design neo” (Japanese: デザインあ). “Ah! Design neo” is a children’s educational TV program with over a decade of history. Okazaki used the Japanese character “あ” and circular patterns to depict the experience of creating something with one’s own hands or seeing the world through one’s eyes. He imagined the focused atmosphere of children watching the video in their rooms and combined traditional graphic design medium “paper” with “animation” to enhance the charm of graphic design, creating a light and enjoyable feeling that both adults and children can immediately appreciate.
Renowned designer Haruka Misawa, who excels in graphic, product design, and spatial planning, is another award winner of the 25th Kenkura Yusaku Award, while the visual and signage system design for Tamazoe Kindergarten received the 2023 JAGDA Award, achieving a double honor at the 25th Kenkura Yusaku Award.
The signage system designed by Haruka Misawa features saturated colors and smooth lines, with each sign having a unique shape such as flowers, elephants, and moons. Whether in a natural environment or on the white and wooden walls of buildings, each sign appears delicate and eye-catching, cleverly providing a rich aesthetic to the space and enhancing the effectiveness of the signage’s “guidance.” Even children who cannot read yet can use their rich imagination to understand the world around them and find the right direction through the unique shapes of the signs.
JAGDA New Talent Award winner Kako Fujita serves as the art director of the long-established Japanese advertising agency Sun-Ad. She has received numerous awards, including the JAGDA Award in 2019 and the ADC Award (Tokyo Art Directors Club) in 2020-21. She designed memorable printed materials for the Nara Art Hotel “Karinju” in Japan, taking inspiration from the arched design of Karinju’s interior and exterior to create graphic visual symbols. These designs were used on room keys, door signs, business cards, and toiletry packaging. Through clever and elegant visual innovation, guests staying at the hotel can deeply feel the charm of the hotel and the local cultural and artistic atmosphere from the inside out.
Another JAGDA Newcomer Award winner, Yago Naonori, has won several prestigious design awards such as Tokyo ADC, D&AD, and NY ADC. In the design process, every designer needs to make choices between “conveying information” and “expressing feelings.” His creations focus on the style of “expressing feelings,” and the main visual design for the “HOPE – Shape of Hope” exhibition in 2022 showcases his personal style. He mentioned that he once watched a zombie movie, where children represent hope and adults represent wisdom. Subsequently, in the creative process, he wanted to merge these two elements together, so he incorporated his daughter Mashiro’s doodles into his work, which are displayed at the entrance of the exhibition.
There are still many JAGDA Award 2023 and other excellent works, such as: the image work designed by Jujiro Maki for the “Art Rapids” event at the MOAO, which won the 2023 JAGDA Award (General Image Category). During the creative process, Jujiro Maki collaborated with the museum team to place a stack of flyers in a packaging bag, then embraced this stack of flyers and lay in the rapids, allowing each flyer to be naturally wrinkled by the water, filled with the real traces of flowing water, echoing the theme of “rapids”.
Taichi Tamaki created a Mother’s Day newspaper advertisement for the clothing brand in 2022, featuring the familiar character of “Come Home Love” as the protagonist. The characteristics of a flipping newspaper left a deep impression on readers. In just a few pages and a few sentences, it conveys the meaning of “Although moms always say they don’t need Mother’s Day gifts, no mom will forget this holiday. Show your gratitude to her.” It cleverly links the brand with Mother’s Day, leaving a lasting impression.
Successful brands must have a strong brand image. This interesting and unconventional creative action not only showcases the designer’s creativity but also sparks curiosity among the audience, creating a connection with the exhibition content and inspiring viewers to explore the relationship between design, art, and nature.
The special feature of this exhibition is that the two new award-winning designers will attend the exhibition and related activities, allowing them to interact closely with local designers and design enthusiasts! During the event, there will be free activities such as design lectures, designer guided tours, bringing together designers and cross-disciplinary creative individuals to discuss aesthetics, advertising creativity, and public experiences, broadening the perspective of design. With such a rich program, design enthusiasts definitely cannot miss it!
Graphic Design in Japan 2023 (Hong Kong Edition) Exhibition
Date: April 10 to May 5, 2024
Time: 11:00 – 19:00
Location: PMQ元創方 A座地下 SG03 – SG07 (35 Aberdeen Street, Central, Hong Kong)
Fee: Free of charge
Details: https://www.pmq.org.hk/event/graphic-design-in-japan-2023-hong-kong-edition
