Message from the Award Winner

When I was just starting out, a mere 23 years old, I somehow managed to win a Mainichi Advertising Design Award, and at the awards ceremony at the Imperial Hotel I saw Yusaku Kamekura. In my excitement, I impudently rushed over and asked for his handshake, and he affably responded with a friendly smile on his face. His hand was warm and soft. Being a vapid young squirt with nothing in particular to say to someone of Mr. Kamekura’s caliber, I was nonetheless thrilled by the notion that, with this glorious first contact, I had taken my momentous first step into the world of graphic design. But as I proceeded to gaze at the many award-winning works and their creators at this dazzling event, my excitement gradually withered with the realization that I hadn’t yet started anywhere. I remember quite well how, on the spot, I told myself I should go back to my office and get to work, and I plodded my way back from Ginza.
That one handshake was my first, and last, contact with the luminary among luminaries in the realm of graphic design. It was a handshake that, in retrospect, seemed to be both welcoming and also gently repellent. I wonder what Mr. Kamekura thought of the cold hand of this shallow young bloke. Winning this award in his name now, many years later, is an honor I surely don’t deserve. Yet at the same time, for some reason, welling up inside me I sense the same feelings as that day when, treading in despair back from Ginza, I focused on my future. Mr. Kamekura always sought to create something new, something that would relate to the world through design. The warmth I felt in his hand that day still lingers in mine. I am more determined than ever to strive for better and better work.

Norio Nakamura

Yusaku Kamekura Design Award

The Yusaku Kamekura Design Award was established to honor the design achievements of the late Yusaku Kamekura (1915-1997), as a way of contributing to the ongoing development of the graphic design field. Made possible through a gift from the Kamekura family, the award program is operated by the Japan Graphic Designers Association Inc. (JAGDA), where Mr. Kamekura long served in the role of its founding president. Under this program, the “Yusaku Kamekura Design Award” is presented to the designer of the work or works deemed most outstanding among all entries for inclusion in the JAGDA yearbook, Graphic Design in Japan.

Mr. Kamekura loathed being forever identified for his connection to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and until just before his untimely death he eagerly vied against the younger generations of designers with works vibrantly “set in the present.” Through his editorial work for his graphic design magazine CREATION, he pursued the artistry and true essence of graphic design. Respecting his wishes, the award presented in his name honors graphic design that blends universal appeal with innovative creativity. Each award comes with a prize of JPY 500,000 and a plaque designed by Taku Satoh.

Previous Award Winners
Ikko Tanaka (1999), Kazumasa Nagai (2000), Kenya Hara (2001), Kashiwa Sato (2002), Masayoshi Nakajo (2003), Kazunari Hattori (2004), Mitsuo Katsui (2005), Shin Matsunaga (2007), Taku Satoh (2008), Ryosuke Uehara (2009), Katsumi Asaba (2010), Katsuhiko Shibuya (2012), Keiko Hirano (2013), Kaoru Kasai (2014), Kenjiro Sano (2015), Ken Miki (2016), Yoshie Watanabe (2017). (No works were judged worthy of the award in 2006 or 2011.)

Award Ceremony
Fri, June 29, 2018 in Niigata (at the site of JAGDA’s 2018 Regular General Assembly)

Publication of the Award-Winning Works
Mr. Nakamura’s award-winning works will be featured in Graphic Design in Japan 2018, scheduled for publication in June 2018 (Rikuyosha Co., Ltd. / Price: JPY 16,200)