Yusaku Kamekura

Yusaku Kamekura

亀倉雄策

Yusaku Kamekura is considered one of Japanese the representative greaters of the first generation of designers, having received diverse awardings in Japan and the exterior for its work.
Kamekura was born in the Province of Niigata, in 1915. A Japanese graphic designer. He studied principles of Constructivism at the Institute of New Architecture and Industrial Arts, Tokyo, a private institute established and run by Renshichiro Kawakita with the aim of introducing Bauhaus design theories in Japan; he graduated in 1935 and in 1938 joined the Nippon Kobo design studio (now Publishing on Design Inc.).

For over a decade from 1937 he worked as art director on a number of Japanese magazines, including Nippon and Commerce Japan . In 1951 he participated in the establishment of the Japan Advertising Arts Club, which secured social recognition for the profession of graphic designer. In 1955 he took part in the ‘Graphic ’55’ exhibition, together with Hiromu Hara, Paul Rand and others.

Yusaka Kamekura's work, to me, is utterly sensational and inspiring and it is hard to believe that some of his work that I have posted on my blogg is 67 years old! The mix of image and type, to me, is near perfect and he is one of my most favourite graphic designers to have ever lived.

His style of working is some thing that I definitely want to try and re create in my own work and it would be fantastic to work in a design studio in Japan with people who also feel that same way.