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Read Japanese Modern

Read Japanese Modern

With enticing visuals and a fascinating text, Japanese Modern: Graphic Design between the Wars is the first book to examine an often igno…

Looked at the pictures, skimmed some of the text 😂 Much more detail than I was interested in 🤷‍♀️

Two styles of Japanese lettering in extra bold and extra fine
I appreciate seeing how different alphabets / scripts can be varied even if I can’t read them 😂
Red type on white background, a block of text forming a triangle with two oversized characters below in a similar shape
A little reminiscent of that Secession poster — but this is advertising lettering for athletic gear? 😂 By Kashima Mitsuo

 

Black and white icon showing two hammers hitting a rounded head in profile
This is funky but I like it – icon for Hardhead, a Tokyo agricultural tools company, 1935
Stylized geometric block drawing of two girls diving against black waters in pink striped suits
These illustrations are cute – Toyonosuke Kurozumi, mid-1930s ad for Osaka National Railway
Naked girl with shadows obscuring her breasts, holding a red glass of port
First nude advertising photo in Japan – 1922 ad for Akadama Port Wine by Inoue Mokuda and Kataoka Toshiro

By Tracy Durnell

Writer and designer in the Seattle area. Freelance sustainability consultant. Reach me at tracy.durnell@gmail.com. She/her.

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