Pink Tentacle » Design

Electricity conservation posters

Pink Tentacle — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 09:09:56 +0000

In Tokyo and surrounding areas, signs of electricity conservation are visible everywhere. Rolling blackouts are in effect, train services have been scaled back, stores and businesses are using fewer lights, advertising signs and escalators have been switched off, and even some pachinko parlors have cut their hours of operation. On Twitter, a community of graphic designers has sprung up to create posters encouraging people to save power. Residents of eastern Japan are encouraged to print them out and post them where they live and work. [Link: Setsuden via GaijinPot]

Everyone save electricity

Please cooperate in conserving electricity

Save power and carry on

Let's conserve electricity! Switch OFF!

Turn OFF the power. Now anybody can be Santa.

Power saving!

The amount you turn off will light someone else up.

Please conserve electricity.

Save electricity. Save somebody.

Save electricity. Switch off.

The light you turn off will light up a smile.

Now conserving power

The quickest aid you can provide now is electricity.

Saving energy & open for business

Open for business in power saving mode!

Conserve electricity to prevent massive power failures!

Decorated gas tanks

Pink Tentacle — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 15:53:35 +0000

Local gas companies occasionally add a touch of character to the giant spherical gas containers that dot the landscape of Japan. Here are a few examples.

Nicotan (mascot of Shibata Gas) -- Shibata, Niigata prefecture [via]

Watermelon -- Tomisato, Chiba prefecture [via]

Hikari-chan and Gatto-kun -- Niigata [via]

Zen monk-poet Ryōkan -- Tsubame, Niigata prefecture [via]

Soccer ball -- Kiryū, Gunma prefecture [via]

Tokkikki (Niigata prefectural mascots) -- Niigata [via]

Ōnyūdō -- Yokkaichi, Mie prefecture

Peach -- Akaiwa, Okayama prefecture [via]

Ouchi dolls -- Yamaguchi prefecture [via]

Welcome to Isesaki -- Gunma prefecture [via]

"Taisha" wheeled fish toy -- Niigata [via]

Morioka Gas character dancing the Sansa Odori -- Morioka, Iwate prefecture [via]

Bunbuku Chagama tanuki -- Gunma prefecture [via] // Origami cranes -- Mie prefecture [via]

Japanese irises -- Niigata [via]

Watermelon -- Takizawa, Iwate prefecture [via]

Godai-chan (tourism mascot for the city of Kashihara) -- Nara prefecture [via]

Kōfu, Yamanashi prefecture [via]

Kintarō -- Saitama [via]

Flowers and butterflies -- Niigata prefecture [via]

Artist's conception of Nintendo Kirby tanks [via]

Fake vintage Japanese ad mascots

Pink Tentacle — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 01:47:25 +0000

Argentina-based artist Juan Molinet has created a series of fictional Japanese ads featuring retro-style characters.

Osaka's Marshmellow Kid

Nagoya Sweet Salami Co.

Sumitomo Calamari Ice Cream

Cheesus by Hokama Good Cheese Co.

Kyoto Seafood Processing Co.

Satoyama Whistle Co.

Hokaido Industrial Sushi Food Co.

[Link]

Japanese graphic design from the 1920s-30s

Pink Tentacle — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 10:05:55 +0000

In the 1920s and 1930s, Japan embraced new forms of graphic design as waves of social change swept across the nation. This collection of 50 posters, magazine covers and advertisements offer a glimpse at some of the prevailing tendencies in a society transformed by the growth of modern industry and technology, the popularity of Western art and culture, and the emergence of leftist political thought.

"Buy Domestic!" poster, 1930 [+]

Cover of "Nippon" magazine issue #1, Oct 1934 [+]

"Fuji Weekly" cover, Oct 1930 [+]

Poster for Japan's first national census, 1920 [+] // "Health for body and country" poster, c. 1930 [+]

Grand Nagoya Festival poster by Kenkichi Sugimoto, 1933 [+]

Kyoto Grand Exposition to Commemorate the Showa Imperial Coronation, 1928 [+]

Poster design by Shujiro Shimomura, 1928 [+]

"NAPF" (Nippona Artista Proleta Federacio) magazine cover, Feb 1931 [+]

"NAPF" (Nippona Artista Proleta Federacio) magazine covers: Sep 1931 // Oct 1931

"May 1" movie poster by Hiromu Hara, 1928-1929 [+]

"Senki" magazine covers: Oct 1929 // Nov 1929

"Senki" magazine covers: May 1930 // Jan 1930

Cover of "Nippon" magazine issue #7, June 1936 [+]

Magazine ad for "Seishun Zukai" movie, 1931 [+]

"Affiches" magazine issue #2, Aug 1927 [+] // "Affiches" magazine issue #3, Sep 1927 [+]

"The Advertising World" magazine cover, Sep 1933 [+]

Book covers: "Modern Commercial Art," 1928 [+] // "Kite" (Tako - 凧) by Takehisa Yumeji, 1926 [+]

Poster for 1940 Grand International Exposition of Japan (canceled due to war), 1938 [+]

Poster for the 1940 Olympic Games in Tokyo (canceled due to WWII), 1936 (by Hiromu Hara) [+]

"The Advertising World" magazine cover, June 1926 [+]

"Reijin" sheet music cover, 1930 [+]

"Songs of Miss Nippon" sheet music cover, 1930 [+] // "Modern Tokyo" sheet music cover, 1929 [+]

Cover of "Nippon" magazine issue #2, Jan 1935 [+]

Poster for Shimadzu mannequin exhibition, 1935 [+]

Designs by Kurazo Murota: Poster, 1928 // Catalog cover, 1927

Poster for Tokyo Construction Fair, 1935 [+]

Cover of "Affiches" magazine issue #1, 1927 [+]

Magazine ads for movies: "Omohide Ooki Onna", 1931 // "Wakaki Hi no Kangeki," 1931

Magazine ads for movies: "Chuya Gyojoki," 1931 // "Shukujo Club," 1931

"Young Miss" (Ojo-san) movie poster, 1930 [+]

"Fuji Weekly" cover, Aug 1930 [+]

Poster for "Volga" and "College Life," 1930 [+] // Poster for "Kriemhild’s Revenge," 1925 [+]

Nikke business clothing poster ad by Gihachiro Okayama, 1931 [+]

Nikke sports coat poster ad by Gihachiro Okayama, 1931 [+]

Nikke socks and knitwear poster ad by Gihachiro Okayama, 1932 [+]

Nikke socks and knitwear poster ad by Gihachiro Okayama, 1936 [+]

Nikke coat poster ad by Gihachiro Okayama, 1937 [+]

Nikke summer clothing poster ad by Gihachiro Okayama, 1937 [+]

Nikke socks and knitwear poster ad by Gihachiro Okayama, 1937 [+]

More:
- Japanese industrial expo posters (1920s-1940s)
- Japanese proletarian posters (1930s)

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

Cute antique Japanese postcards

Pink Tentacle — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 10:35:17 +0000

Here is an assortment of playful Japanese postcards from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, found in a recent book by collector Hiroki Hayashi entitled "Antique Cute Post Cards in Japan" (Nippon no kawaii ehagaki).

Betty Boop (Yamaguchi Seikyokudo Co., Ltd. - c. 1930s)

Betty Boop (1937)

Betty Boop, Mickey and Minnie (1936)

Mickey (c. 1920s-40s)

Kewpie Mayonnaise ad (1932)

Kewpie (c. 1920s-40s)

Kewpie (1933/1935)

Kewpie (c. 1920s-40s)

Kewpie (Shoseido - 1919)

Kewpie (c. 1920s-40s)

"Bring it on" (Propaganda card by Kiyoshi - 1940)

"I've got your back" (Military Mail greeting card for troops - 1940)

Dancing skeletons (c. 1890s-1900s)

Yoshikawa Roppa (Hibiya Yurakuza Theater - 1940)

New Year's Card (1911)

Muscles and blood vessels (1920)

Standing in flames (Shokichiro Yamaguchi - c. 1920s)

Postcard commemorating Children's Expo (Dobunkan - 1906)

One in a series of naughty joke cards (Toyo Postcard Association - c. 1900s-10s)

Harunaa beauty products (c. 1920s-1940s)

Single-wheeled vehicle (1936)

Norakuro (Suiho Tagawa - c. 1930s)

Marriage and the growing use of X-ray machines - (c. 1910s)

Dancing cats (c. 1920s-1940s)

Welcome to Japan

Pink Tentacle — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 02:16:18 +0000

Poster by Masayoshi Nakajo, 1988 [+]

Behold a place where the people's needs miraculously meet the corporate agendas. Enjoy a nation of modern cultural perspectives -- "humanication," "forever freshness" and "the super next." Experience a country that does things better, or so its citizens fervently believe.
- Leonard Koren

LED-powered Harajuku smiles

Pink Tentacle — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 07:21:05 +0000

A commercial promoting the Laforet Grand Bazar winter sale in Harajuku (January 20-24) features a mob of people with flickering LED-illuminated smiles who overrun a dramatic love scene reminiscent of a popular '90s-era TV show.

The ad -- entitled "Geee / Harajuku Love Story" -- makes use of wirelessly-controlled Mouth LED technology developed by artists Daito Manabe and Motoi Ishibashi.

+ Video

Here is a rough translation of the dialogue that takes place as the smiling mob approaches.

[Man]: We can make it work. I'll do my best.
[Woman]: Will you come to see me if I get lonely at night, no matter what?
[Man]: I will go immediately. I'll fly.
[Woman]: Will you come and pick me up if I call you from Mt. Everest?
[Man]: I'll fly there right away.
[Woman]: Will you bring me hot nabe soup if I ask for it?
[Man]: I will. I'll bring a year's worth.
[Woman]: What if I asked you to take me to the moon?
[Man]: That might be difficult...
[Woman]: That's not good enough.
[Man]: But I can make you happy.

The commercial appears to have been inspired by an earlier project by Manabe and Ishibashi entitled "Party in the Mouth," which featured a mob of women with glowing LED smiles wandering the streets of Tokyo at night.

+ Video

Here is some video from the Laforet website:

+ Video

Czech & Polish posters for kaiju films

Pink Tentacle — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 06:05:32 +0000

Here are a few classic Japanese monster movie posters from Poland and the former Czechoslovakia. [Via Monster Brains]

Godzilla (Poland, 1957)

Son of Godzilla (Poland, 1974)

Monster from a Prehistoric Planet (Czechoslovakia, 1986)

War of the Gargantuas (Poland, 1975)

Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (Poland, 1978)

Terror of Mechagodzilla (Poland, 1977)

Gappa the Triphibian Monster (Poland, 1973)

Gamera Super Monster (Poland, 1980)

King Kong Escapes (Poland, 1967)

Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster (Poland, 1971)

The X from Outer Space (Czechoslovakia, 1968)

Godzilla vs. Gigan (Poland, 1977)

Rabbit New Year cards

Pink Tentacle — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 01:52:55 +0000

The Year of the Rabbit has come hopping around, and here to mark the occasion are some antique bunny-themed nengajō from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston collection. Happy 2011!

Rabbit, 1951 // Snow rabbit, 1927

Sumo-wrestling rabbits, 1927

Rabbit in bed, 1915

Rabbits playing musical instruments, 1927

Rising sun and rabbit, 1915 // Rabbit with pink background, 1951

Rabbits on bicycles, 1904

Rabbits, 1927

Rabbit on boat, 1927

Rabbit holding giant calligraphy brush, 1903

Rabbit, 1951 // Rabbit walking a tightrope, 1927

Rabbit and waves

Rabbit and waves, 1915

Rabbit on boat

Rabbit, 1951 // Rabbit in the moon, 1915

Rabbit and tiger, 1915

Silver rabbits in snow, 1910

Young girl holding a rabbit, 1915

Rabbit carrying vegetables, 1927

Rabbit and turtle, 1911 // Snow rabbit, 1927

Rabbit writing New Year's greeting on screen

Pink Tentacle’s greatest hits – 2010

Pink Tentacle — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 08:57:20 +0000

As 2010 draws to an end, here's a look back at the year's most popular Pink Tentacle posts.

- Old-school Tokyo subway manner posters: 27 train etiquette posters from the 1970s-1980s

* * * * *

- Custom scooters: Photos of 30 Japanese scooter mods

* * * * *

- Post-apocalyptic Tokyo scenery: Fantastic photo manipulations by Tokyogenso

* * * * *

- Macabre kids' book art by Gojin Ishihara: Not just for kids

* * * * *

- Concept cars: A look back at 50+ years of Japanese concept car designs

* * * * *

- Japanese town logos: 50 examples of kanji-based logos for Japanese towns

* * * * *

- Kaikidan Ekotoba monster scroll: Mysterious mid-19th century scroll featuring 33 legendary monsters and human oddities

* * * * *

- Futuristic mega-projects: Shimizu Corporation's bold architectural plans for the world of tomorrow

* * * * *

- Horror illustrations by Tatsuya Morino: The great monsters of Gothic literature get a makeover

* * * * *

Selections from the Japanese urban legend series

- Ningen: Giant humanoid sea creatures of the Antarctic
- Sony timer: Rumors of a secret kill switch in Sony products
- Severed samurai head in Tokyo: A head buried in Tokyo has haunted the city for 1,000 years
- Secrets of the Tokyo underground: Rumors of a hidden city under Tokyo
- Hanako-san: Girl ghost haunts restrooms across Japan
- Human-faced dog: Encounters with mysterious canines
- Okiku doll: A haunted toy with hair that grows
- Urban legends from Meiji-period Japan: Phantom trains, bloody chocolate, and more
- Cursed commercial: Infamous Kleenex ad that sparked fear across Japan
- Human pillars: Tales of human sacrifice for large-scale construction projects

* * * * *

- Sci-fi illustrations by Shigeru Komatsuzaki: Fantastic art from the 1960s-1970s (bonus points for the comments)

* * * * *

- Manga farming: Nifty gardening technique by Tokyo-based artist Koshi Kawachi

* * * * *

- Paintings by Tetsuya Ishida: Surreal and provocative

Happy holidays, and thanks for reading. See you again in 2011!