The Graphic Spirit of Japan by Richard Smith Thorton provides an extensive collection of Japanese graphic design from the design history from the Meiji period throughout to the 1980s. Numerous design examples can be seen in this book from Japanese designers such as Hisui Sugiura, Yusaku Kamekura, Ikko Tanaka, Mitsuo Katsui, to name just a few. The book also looks at European influence on Japanese design, typography, illustration, poster competitions, packaging design, advertising photography, and graphic design education. One particular example that caught my attention was a poster design by Ryuichi Yamashiro, named Trees. The character (ki) means ‘tree’, when two of the same characters are combined, the character (hayashi) means ‘wood’, and when three of the same characters are combined, the character (mori) means ‘forest’. The characters are laid out across the space as to represent trees among a snow-covered hillside (source: The Graphic Spirit of Japan, Richard Smith Thorton, page 82). There are plenty of inspirational examples in this book to be learned from.
The Graphic Spirit of Japan by Richard S. Thorton
MFA Journey 