More Details in Japanese

Comment from Designer

In creating this poster, my first thought was to avoid direct expression of “violence”, “war”, “nuclear explosion” and other images antithetical to “peace” because such graphic scenes have received more than sufficient airing on broadcast media and because, unless the creator who takes such motifs for his design is highly competent, the poster is more likely to generate antipathy than to move those who view it. I was, however, against seeking a Utopian representation of “peace” because I felt that such would be lacking in impact.
My method, in deliberately selecting the most popular image of a child with a dove as the vehicle for my appeal for peace, was to enable the viewer to intuit the nature of the poster at a glance whilst adding an aesthetic appeal that would render the image more powerful. The overall impact of “design” being more effective than a semi-realistic illustration, I simplified the elements on the page as far as possible, reducing the background to the white of the “paper” and erasing all markings to free the image from its pictorial roots, relying on a “new effect” born of the merger of two heterogeneous aesthetics in the process of apprehending space: illustrative components and a design sensitivity.

Hiroshima Appeals Poster Campaign

In 1983, the Japan Graphic Designers Association Inc. (JAGDA) and the Hiroshima International Cultural Foundation announced their collaboration on a project focusing on the theme “Hiroshima’s Spirit” and launched a poster campaign with the goal of promoting peace at home and abroad. The first poster, entitled “Burning Butterflies”, was created by Yusaku Kamekura, the president of JAGDA at the time. Designers affiliated with JAGDA produce one poster each year.

Size: B1 (728 x 1,030mm)