Japanese Graphics Now! [antikvár]

She has turned 20, but today is not her birthday. It is her "coming-of-age ceremony day" (seiiin-shili) and she, lile all the other girls who turned 20 this year, is wearing a kimono, it is not that she would not lile to have a private birthday party. The truth is you don't really get to celebrate your personal affairs that often here. On the other hand, traditional celebrations (matsuri) seem an ideal way to share the festivities, whiie assuring people that they will not stand out as much as at a party of their own. So there she goes, walking among the crowd using the latest mobile phone to take pictures and movies of her friends. The ceremony is almost over and the group is heading somewhere for the second stage of the party. No tea ceremony in their pians probably some fast-food restaurant wiii do the trick. Or perhaps a karaoke party? The picture session is not over yet, but they start moving. A little shopping before going for a soft drink. Up-market European brands top the iist - including handbags that may cost as much as three months rent for a one-room-fiat in Tokyo. They almost end up with the same type of handbag. Sharing a similar taste seems to give them a sense of relief. Not much different from sharing a crowded festival instead of a private party the pattern is the same. Shopping time is now over - at least for today. After finishing their soft drinks, they all start to head off home. They need to catch the last train, a kind of curfew in Japan "sponsored" by the railway companies. This could be just a regular day in Japan: kimonos and mobile phones; traditional ceremonies ending at fast food restaurants; expensive branded handbags; and totally packed trains. All of these things occur side by side, without any apparent contradiction. The respect for old and modern traditions marks one of the most astonishing characteristics of Japanese society. This is exactly the same as you will find in Japanese design. The traditional and the modern coexist, bringing out the best in both. You will get a chance to see impressive examples of this - ail the way through Japanese Graphics Now! Japanese graphics have the ability to let you move between the past and the present without even noticing it. It may even be hard to see the difference between the two. Let's say, rather, Japanese style or "wafu". The Japanese style sensitivity is based, among other things, on a respect for balance. This sensibility is probably best seen in the Japanese language, in which every character presen/es the same proportion throughout the three different Japanesewriting systems. A combination of Chinese characters and two syllabic systems called "hiragana" and "katakana" is used in actual writing, in reality, "katakana" is basically used for foreign words or for things that do not have their origin in Japan. And probably, in an effort to preserve the culture, that peculiarity is also present in order to distinguish the origins of the designs. Perhaps it's because Japanese people dislike being called "Asians" that they emphasize the need to recognize the origin of the design in their products. Graphic design plays an important part in giving their products either a local or foreign flavour. For example, it makes more sense that the graphics for coffee or chocolate - including logo, packaging and advertisement -are designed in a European style, it is as if the "katakana" principle persisted to define the lines between what is Japanese and what is foreign, it is probably a way of keeping the Japanese identity whiie showing respect for the origin of the products. For the same reason, you wiii rarely see a Japanese sweet, such as "mizu youkan" (a sort of jelly made from beans) or sake packaged in a way that does not contain a traditionally Japanese design. Even though nowadays the traditional materials such as bamboo or washi paper are sometimes replaced by modern plastic variations, the essence of the old design still remains. Identity is not oniy being preserved with regard to countries, but also with regard to different areas of the Japanese territory, it is probably because Japan is an island that it has been easier to preserve its own culture. But Japanese design is not oniy about balance and proportion, or even minimalism, which is probably the strongest image that people abroad have about Japanese design. Sometimes graphic design gets a little more chaotic - and not in a negative sense - probably due to the overcrowded atmosphere. A good chance to see this kind of design is through the adverts on trains, it is not that the designers are trying to compete with the busy trains by "noisy" advertising. It is quite possible that they are trying to entertain the unfortunate passengers, who have to spend quite a long time everyday commuting to their jobs in packed trains. The passengers might even be grateful to have something to read during such a tiring trip. Train adverts are usually saturated with information written in very small font sizes, sometimes even challenging your eyesight. Believe it or not, you may even get the chance to read it all if you happen to get a crowded 7.30 AM train on a weekday Another characteristic that will not pass unnoticed is the sense of humor: pretty close to the comic (manga) subculture, and sometimes even close to being childish, with no other claim than to being cute or "kawai". Characters, figures, usually like little pets, are used for promoting all manner of products in an attempt to get that desired "cute" image. Even when the products are supposed to be aimed at adults, the trend is to use this method to achieve a more "touching" effect. Japanese Graphics Now! will take you on a tour of the works of some of the best Japanese designers. Enjoy the traditional and the modern, the minimalist and the chaotic, the sensitivity to proportion and the cuteness. And, above all, enjoy this unique chance of getting a closer look at today's Japanese culture.