The Japan Graphic Designers Association Inc. (JAGDA), established in 1978, is Japan’s largest design organization, its membership currently standing at some 3,000 designers. JAGDA undertakes a wide variety of activities aimed at enhancing the environment for communication through design. These include organization of exhibitions and seminars, promotion of design education, initiatives to foster public design, regional revitalization and international exchange – and the publication of Graphic Design in Japan, its yearbook showcasing the works of its members.
Each year, from among the works selected for inclusion in Graphic Design in Japan JAGDA presents the “JAGDA New Designer Awards” to promising designers under the age of 40 who are expected to be prominent in the field in the years to come. Since the awards were inaugurated in 1983, they have been bestowed on 101 designers now active at the very forefront of their profession. As a result, today the JAGDA New Designer Awards are considered a gateway to success, and their winners garner much attention among members of both the design and advertising fields.
In 2016, after a rigorous selection process evaluating 169 eligible candidates, the 34th JAGDA New Designer Awards were presented to Yuri Uenishi, Eriko Kawakami and Masashi Murakami. This exhibition will introduce their winning and recent works, with a focus on their posters and small graphics.
Yuri Uenishi
1. Posters publicizing TV broadcasts of 2015 World Table Tennis Championships (client: TV TOKYO)
2. Poster for “11th Glass Bottle Awards” (client: Japan Glass Bottle Association)
3. Branding for Yuki Ota (Morinaga) “Fencing Visualized” project (client: Sports Biz)
Eriko Kawakami
1. VI and shop design for “san grams” green tea café and products (client: Marumatsu Tea Co.)
2. Packaging for “san grams” brand of tea and sweets (client: Marumatsu Tea Co.)
3. “the days” calendar product (client: D-BROS)
Masashi Murakami
1. Packaging for “THE ROASTERS AND THE STAND” brand of coffee beans (client: THE ROASTERS / THE STAND)
2. Posters for photographer’s one-man show (“LOADING”) (client: Rapyard)
3. Posters for “SHAPES” solo exhibition (organizer: Earth & Salt)
Born in Tokyo in 1987. In 2010, after graduating from Tama Art University with a B.A. in Graphic Design, she joined Dentsu. Her major awards to date include: Tokyo ADC Award, Silver Prize at 2015 International Poster Triennial in Toyama, Cannes Young Lions Gold Award, New York ADC Award, D&AD Award, ONE SHOW Award, etc.
Born in Tokyo in 1982. In 2006 she graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts, with a degree in Design. In 2008 she joined DRAFT. Her major works to date include: branding for Marumatsu Tea’s “san grams” tea; graphics for Pocchiri, a shop specializing in change purses; “Tabar” products using brass; and the D-BROS product brand. She received a JAGDA Award in 2013 and a Tokyo ADC Award in 2015.
Born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1982. He graduated from the Design course of Tokyo University of the Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts, and also completed the Masters course at the same university’s Graduate School of Fine Arts. Together with Takashi Murakami, he is president of m2 (emuni). Already this year he has won two Gold Prizes at 2016 ONE SHOW and a Tokyo TDC Award.
Works on Exhibition
The exhibition will introduce the three winners’ award-winning and recent works, mostly posters and small graphics.
Awards Ceremony
June 25 (Sat), 2016 at JAGDA’s regular annual general meeting (2016) to be held in Kyoto
Traveling Exhibition
Heiwa Paper Co.’s Paper Voice Gallery in Osaka; also Shiga, Niigata, Aichi and Shizuoka
Publication Featuring the Award-winning Works
The award-winning works will be featured in the opening pages of Graphic Design in Japan 2016, slated for publication in June. This annually produced collection of JAGDA members’ works was launched in 1981 to introduce Japan’s multitude of high-quality works of graphic design to readers worldwide. All JAGDA members are eligible to enter their works of the previous year into the competition to be selected for inclusion in this yearbook. (Publisher: Rikuyosha Co., Ltd. Price: JPY 16,200)
Previous JAGDA New Designer Awards Exhibitions can be accessed here.
Organizer
CREATION GALLERY G8
Co-organizer
Japan Graphic Designers Association Inc. (JAGDA)
