Cultural Influence
Shigeo Fukuda was born in Japan, 1983. In a family of toymakers, cultural feature that eventually will be noticed in his works. After world war II he started to demonstrate great interest in the Graphic arts.
He graduated from the National Institute of Fine arts and Music, Tokyo. Soon after his graduation, he starts to incorporate illusionism and the absurd geometric forms in his designs. This has great affinity with the Japanese technique of making posters, where the designs weren't based on a movement but in the individual. This technique also demanded careful investment of thought in order to understand its message, their message was never understood at first glance. In his late years, his creative processes were influenced by the swiss style of design and the constant development of production methods that new technology brought to the table . Even then, his technique and style remained essentially unchanged. His designs demonstrate economy of line and clear delineation of form which are signs of the influence that swiss design had on him.
Quotes
"Like a miracle, it does not serve up instant comprehension, nor does it respond to conventional interpretation. It impresses through elegance, its abstract components, its direct message, its intense impact or subtle gentleness must be felt before it can be understood."
- Catherine Burer
"Take time, with ideas, allow them to grow, before converting them into visual representations with monk-like discipline and devotion."
- Catherine Burer
"Anything goes, as long as it astonishes and seduces"
"The emotional impression is paramount for logic and reson"
Why is Fukuda so well known and respected?
I believe that the mixture in the application of Japanese ideologies and philosophy, with the clean economic swiss graphic interpretation revolutionized the design world. He developed methods that demanded the viewer to engage themselves not just in the design, but also through analysis also in the subject or message that he tried to communicate. His investment in the viewer's mind was a very important paramount of why he is so respect, for he doesn't only respects the principles of design but he also respects the viewer as intellectual beings. Through his technique he managed to create, and reinvent some parts of the design culture, which over the years has served as an example of smart, complex effective design. It is clear that his contribution to the design world has influenced designers and invited them in developing thought engaging ideas and concepts.
Sources
http://designhistorymashup.blogspot.com/2008/04/shigeo-fukudas-poster-design.html
http://manosdeldiseno.wordpress.com/2012/12/02/shigeo-fukuda-1932-2009/
http://www.macauart.net/Gallery/ShowIndexE.asp?cid=165&id=146
