Japanese designs from the 1920's/30's

I stumbled upon these very singular graphic design pieces from 1920s and 1930s, they all come from Japan and are characteristic of what the country was experiencing: a massive social change.

I have collected below a selection of posters, mag covers and advertisements which gives you a very good insight of where the Japanese society was heading to: modern industry and technology. Western art and culture influences can be felt in those pieces as well as a growing incline towards a leftist political thought.

Is it me or some of that stuff reminds of a certain Shepard Fairey?

Japanese design
Buy domestic! (poster)
Japanese designs
Cover of "Nippon" magazine issue #1, Oct 1934
japanese designs
"Fuji Weekly" cover, Oct 1930
Japanese designs
Kyoto Grand Exposition to Commemorate the Showa Imperial Coronation, 1928
Poster design by Shujiro Shimomura, 1928
Poster design by Shujiro Shimomura, 1928
"May 1" movie poster by Hiromu Hara, 1928-1929
"May 1" movie poster by Hiromu Hara, 1928-1929
"Reijin" sheet music cover, 1930
"Reijin" sheet music cover, 1930

[Source: “Modernism on Paper: Japanese Graphic Design of the 1920s-30s”, (published 2003)]

Leave a Reply