社団法人 日本グラフィックデザイナー協会 JAGDA

Message from the awardee

There are many things I want to say – but I prefer to say them through design.

My favorite work of Mr. Kamekura’s is the emblem he created for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. It’s simple, strong and one-of-a-kind. Seeing it made me want to do work someday that’s simple and “big-boned” like that, work that would leave Japan – leave the entire world – speechless with awe. That’s the kind of design I want to create, I thought, even if only once in my lifetime: work that’s simple, clear and bold. And at some point in time that became my guiding principle of design. Since then I have asked myself, over and over again, the true meaning of design, and what it is that design is capable of. Last year I was presented the occasion to read a bit about Yusaku Kamekura. When I came upon a portrait photo of him, he seemed to be looking at me with a mild hint of anger, as though he were telling me my designs still had a long way to go. It was from then that I set out again on my long journey in design. Not too long ago I looked at his photo again, and this time I had the feeling he was smiling at me ever so slightly. It was shortly after that that I received the phone call telling me, out of the blue, that I had won this award in his name.
Here’s the kind of designer I want to be. A designer who never says he’s too busy to accept a new job. Who never makes excuses. Whose task before him is always connected to the world. Whose designs are both simple and profound. A designer who thinks, then moves his hand; then thinks again, and moves his hand again. A designer who never allows stray thoughts to interfere. A designer who designs by thinking: simply, profoundly, clearly. Who thinks at length, but simply. A designer whose work can sometimes be stressful, but always a delight. The path of design still stretches out far in front of me. I’ll never give up and quit, though, because I’ve got a tortoise on my side*. And though a tortoise may walk slowly, it always gets to where it wants to go.

* Note: The first character in Yusaku Kamekura’s surname means “tortoise.”