In the world of modern graphics design, the name Ikko Tanaka (1930-2002) looms large. Tanaka is recognized as a pioneer of modern Japanese graphic design, for works that merged western modernist aesthetics with elements of Japanese tradition, creating a new language of visual expression for contemporary audiences. His frequent use of geometric forms and a limited color palette is clear evidence of his strong respect for the Bauhaus, the influential German design school that flourished between 1919 and 1933 whose key tenets for design include form follows function and less is more. Yet, Tanaka eschewed the mechanical aesthetics often found in modernist design over ones that project had a sense of lightness and playfulness.

Born in 1930 in Nara City, Tanaka graduated from the Kyoto School of Fine Arts in 1950 and worked for several companies, including the Osaka Economic Newspaper, before co-founding Nippon Design Center, Inc. In 1963, he established his own firm, the Ikko Tanaka Design Office. Over a long and fruitful career, he has been honored with many awards for his work, including a silver medal from the Warsaw International Poster Biennial, the Mainichi Design Award, the New York ADC Award, the Tokyo ADC Membership Award, the Mainichi Art Award, and the Japan Cultural Design Grand Prix.

Selected Works of Ikko Tanaka

This poster is representative of Ikko Tanaka’s playful approach to poster design. The poster was created in 1981 for a traditional Japanese dance performance at the Asian Performing Arts Institute of UCLA, University of California at Los Angeles. Tanaka illustrated a simplified geisha by laying out limited colors and forms on a grid structure. Despite his elimination of figurative visual depiction, one is struck by the realism of the image: the typical geisha look with the unique hair arrangement, the pink cheeks and the use of bright red makeup.