On a recent visit of the lovely Ms. Knotz’s studio I rediscovered the work of a great master. Yusaku Kamekura was born in 1915 and passed away in 1997. He was a pioneer and grandfather of Japanese graphic design, founding organizations like Japan Advertising Artists Club (JAAC) and Japan Graphic Designers Association (JAGDA).

Although, he was a contemporary of the famed Ikko Tanaka, Kamekura’s work stands distinctly on its own. The work for the 1964 Olympics solidified his place in the canon of graphic design. From here Kamekura’s work elevated from being mere nods to constructivism and the Bauhaus, to products of a true master in Modernism.

However, flipping through his 1983 monograph (Rikuyo-sha Publishing) it isn’t his geometric, international-style, modernist work that intrigues me. Rather, it is his way of communicating with image and an ability to brew meaning very few forms. This efficient sparsity can be seen in how he uses photography, which reminds me Herbert Bayer and Lazlo Maholy-Nagy’s powerful use of image. The search for perfection in his formal work demonstrates qualities that really were ahead of his time. His body of work is a collection of a man who filled his life with continual amazement.