Japanese Modern
Reviewed by Jim Sweeney
Despite the fact that a lot of important graphic design work was produced in Japan during the Art Deco era, this era has been largely ignored, both in the West and in Japan. No definitive work on Japanese design during that period exists, either in Japanese or English. A start at correcting this situation is made with Japanese Modern: Graphic Design Between the Wars by James Fraser, Steven Heller and Seymour Chwast (Chronicle Books, $16.95 paperback).
Western art and art trends were readily embraced by the Japanese, the authors point out. ”Modernism in Japanese commercial design flowered in the brief period between World Wars I and II.”
As with previous books in this series, examining graphics from the Deco era by country, the authors provide examples from a variety of products and media. But writing a book on Japanese graphics from this era required substantial effort. Many of the primary sources no longer exist. Japan’s major design center, Tokyo, has been destroyed twice in this century (by an earthquake and fire in 1923 and by World War II).
One of the most interesting aspects of this book is how much of what it says, and shows, about Japanese graphics still applies today. Visit Japan, or pick up a Japanese magazine, and you’ll be struck by the resemblance between 1990s ads and what’s in this book. Not in the styles, which have changed, but in the approach. Western figures, especially women, appear in ads. English words are mixed in with Japanese ideographs. There’s a fascination with Western culture and style.
The authors note that Japanese graphic designers rapidly adopted Western art trends. Within months after an exhibit of futurism visited Japan in the 1920s, they point out, futuristic-style graphics were appearing in Japanese publications. The same thing happened with a show of German photography that toured in the same decade.
The trademarks section shows how wholeheartedly Japanese designers adopted Western styles; many of these trademarks would be impossible to identify as to national origin if they weren’t in this book. In designing trademarks, the authors say, ”Departure from what might be considered traditional Japanese aesthetic principles was the norm.”
In common with trademarks from other countries in this era, the trademark design often provides no clue as to the product, or consists of common advertising icons that bears little relation to the product line. A speeding steam locomotive, a popular Art Deco motif, represented a line of food sauces. An armored vehicle represented Asahi Tank, which made clothing, buttons, hand towels and accessories. Television, a company whose trademark showed an early TV, was in the medical supply business.
You can sometimes see influences from specific Western artists in this book. When Tada Hokuu did a poster for Kirin Stout beer, his blocky figure and colors were obviously influenced by A.M. Cassandre.
There are some breathtaking combinations of Japanese imagery with modern styling here – and some very clever designs. A 1930s poster heralding the expansion of routes by Japan Air shows a speeding plane racing across the landscape. In the black shadow of the plane, the new routes are mapped out in colored lines.
Many of the posters show a definite influence from the Soviet graphics of the era. A poster for the Japan Cooperative School shows workers, a red flag and a red star, with a blocky building in the background.
Take away the Japanese text, and many of these designs would fit right in with cutting-edge design of that era in any nation. Shiseido Cosmetic’s house magazine did a photomontage spread in 1930 on Greta Garbo’s eyes.
The earnestness of some government campaigns seems quaint today – or vaguely humorous. A poster from the Tokyo city government showed a schematic of interlocking pipes. The caption: ”The sanitation of cities starts with a sewage system.”
One poster just seems bizarre: ”The Italian prime minister Mussolini’s message just arrived! To the youth of Japan. To enhance friendship between Japan and Italy. Dance party following.”
Japanese ideographs were a major concern for graphic designers. The book reproduces samples of various schemes for modernizing the ideographs, sometimes by rounding them out, sometimes by making them blocky. The alphabet may differ, but the approaches resemble the Deco typefaces made using our alphabet.
This article originally appeared in Trans-Lux volume 13, number 4, January 1997.
Where to Find the Book
You can find Japanese Modern in local bookstores or purchase it on-line at a discount from Amazon.com Books.
ADSW offers this book in association with Amazon.com Books and receives a small commission on sales referred to them.
Comments
Created Sunday, November 08, 1998; Modified Thursday, September 18, 2003.
