2012.09.07

JAGDA Distributed 7,332 Gift Handkerchiefs to Children in the Quake-hit Northeastern Area of Japan

From May to August 2012, Japan Graphic Designers Association Inc. (JAGDA) distributed a total of 7,332 handkerchiefs to children in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, the areas severely affected by the earthquake and tsunami of March 2011.

As one of its relief initiatives in response to the Great Northeastern Earthquake, JAGDA organised “The JAGDA Exhibition 2011: Handkerchiefs for Tohoku Children” with a set of handkerchiefs designed by 586 graphic designers across Japan. The exhibition was held at 14 venues in 12 cities such as Tokyo and Taipei from October 2011 through March 2012.

Based on a “Buy One, Give One” model, its concept was that every time a visitor to the exhibition buys a handkerchief (on site or online), another handkerchief with the same design would be sent to a child. As 7,332 handkerchiefs were purchased in total, the same number of gift handkerchiefs were additionally produced and distributed to 44 primary and secondary schools in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures by both local designers and project members from Tokyo.

The handkerchiefs were well received by the children:
“Each design conveys the bond and fondness between people. Both children and we at the city hall felt at peace (Kamaishi City Board of Education, Iwate)”
“The gift handkerchiefs not only help children feel kindness from those who support the reconstruction in everyday life, but also provide an opportunity to encounter with an idea of graphic design as a profession (Koizumi Primary School, Sendai City, Miyagi)”

To continue its support for reconstruction, JAGDA will hold the Handkerchiefs Exhibition 2 in January 2013. This time the designers will work on handkerchiefs with drawings made by 234 children at four primary schools in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures.

The designed handkerchiefs will be exhibited and sold throughout Japan, and sales will be donated to the above four schools so that the children can develop any ideas to rebuild their own hometown. Thus JAGDA will encourage them to shape their own future through the power of communication design.

The details of the exhibition will be posted in JAGDA website in autumn 2012.

Exhibitions in Tokyo, Osaka and Taipei (2011 Taipei World Design Expo)


Presentation of Gift Handkerchiefs and Drawing Workshops in Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate


About JAGDA
Established in 1978, Japan Graphic Designers Association (JAGDA) is the only nationwide association for graphic designers in Japan with some 2,800 members today. It utilizes the power of graphic design to improve the quality of communication environment by carrying out a variety of activities: publishing yearbooks, textbooks, and other publications; holding exhibitions and seminars; contributing to community revitalization and governmental policies through design; and protection of copyrights in design.

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