the decision to hold the exhibitions in department stores rather than art galleries was extremely important for establishing the social position of graphic design.
—kazumasa nagai

Poster for Museum of Modern Art, Toyama. A zebra on a red tree branch

olympic absurd

In 2015 Kazumasa Nagai was the head of the Tokyo Olympics Committee that chose the identity system designed by Kenjiro Sano—one of the most interesting of recent Olympic identities—that, sadly, was later abandoned due to absurd accusations of plagiarism.

 

 

 

Théâtre de Liège logo
Logo design for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games by Kenjiro Sano

Logo design for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games by Kenjiro Sano.

Théâtre de Liège logo.

 

Created with Sketch.

design in the past was more unique because designers had their own styles. design today has leveled up in terms of sense but designers are likely to follow similar patterns. it mostly works on peripheral nerves but should be more appealing to our souls, i think. —kazumasa nagai

Poster Identity. A gold plane, a red spiral and a green oval floating in space
Created with Sketch.

the package can embody certain personal and spiritual values and not only serve a material purpose. this attitude is related to the spirit of the tea ceremony or of zen buddhism. perhaps as a result, many traditional japanese packages display a simple and sober charm rather than being decorative. —kazumasa nagai

Advertisement poster for Asahi beer. Dozens of Asahi beer caps beneath the beer bottle
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