The father of Japanese cool

In the history of Japanese design, few people possess the mysterious talent of Tsuya Inoue. His work contrasts with the minimalism and universal clarity of classic design conventions and is characterized by a dynamic, often unsettling fusion of photography and typography – they are loud, striking and sometimes chaotic. Judging from the stark visuals he created for Rei Kawakubo’s Comme des Garçons, six magazines, to the eye-catching motion posters he designed for the Parco department store, Inoue’s works convey more than just slogans or stories – they construct a unique cinematic world.

To say that the graphic designer and art director’s visual vocabulary defined the “Japanese cool” look for an entire generation would be an understatement. Inoue’s work elevated mass-market advertising to postmodern conceptual art in the 1980s and 1990s, cementing Japan’s place at the forefront of global culture. His ability to connect an evocative, eye-catching aesthetic to brand identity remains an elusive goal for emerging brands today.

intuitive art

Born in 1947, Inoue pursued a creative career not because of a specific medium, but because of his restless curiosity about the world around him. “My interest in the philosophy of art and literature has been a catalyst for my creativity since I was a child,” he said. His entry into the industry coincided with an era of significant economic growth and cultural prosperity in Japan, which together created a perfect storm—what most consider to be the creative pinnacle of Japanese advertising.

After establishing his own studio, Beans Co., Ltd., in 1978, Inoue began designing advertising campaigns, visual effects, and book projects for musicians that were distinct from the work of established masters. While the technically perfect, clean geometric shapes and compositions of Yusaku Kamekura and Ikko Tanaka laid the graphic foundations for modern Japanese design, Inoue approached design from a more instinctive perspective, built on spontaneity and – as he puts it – “an intuitive and visual sense of the scene.”

His artwork for Ryuichi Sakamoto’s catalog and for the late musician’s legendary electronic band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) are excellent examples of this elusive “visual feeling.” Although the graphics don’t stick to one technique or style—ranging from distortion and deconstruction to dramatic noir portraits—they all share a vague, otherworldly, yet magnetic feel. They all have the same aura.

This hard-to-define aura influenced many aesthetics and styles we now take for granted. Vaporwave owes Inoue a huge sum of money. You can still feel his influence in today’s iconic music visuals. Frank Ocean’s boy don’t cry I immediately thought of the magazine, with its asymmetrical, distorted text reminiscent of Inoue’s visuals on YMO’s 1983 tour.

NEO GEO, Ryuichi Sakamoto, vinyl limited edition, poster 2024. Art direction and design: Tsuguya Inoue. Design: Jun Inagaki. Photography: Sachiko Kurome. Advertiser: Sony Music Records

A match made in heaven

Inoue said that the key moment in his career that really made him famous was the Comme des Garçons advertising campaign in the early 1980s. Collaborating with anti-fashion icon Rei Kawakubo, known for her radical deconstruction and androgynous silhouettes, was an ideal match. “Rei Kawakubo’s open mind and her respect for my vision have allowed me to create endless Comme des Garçons advertising campaigns for nearly five years,” said Inoue.

Most notably, a long-standing relationship of mutual trust gave rise to the Journal of Experimental Imagery sixdirected by Inoue and edited by Atsuko Ogasa under Rei Kawakubo. Published every two years by Comme des Garçons between 1988 and 1991, the publication revolved around the theme of intuition as a “sixth sense” and was an exciting arena for Inoue’s visual experiments.

“six “Magazine is definitely the most interesting publication I’ve been involved with as an art director, and I’m delighted that it has become such an inspiring publication in the world of design and photography,” Inoue said. In fact, physical copies of carefully curated books have become coveted treasures for today’s collectors and can be found in rare book shops both online and offline.

Among the world-renowned photographers who worked with him over the years, including Peter Lindbergh, Jeannette Montgomery Barron and Alberto Callari, Inoue singled out Kishin Shinoyama as another collaborator who greatly inspired him. “Working with Sasayama from the 1980s to the early 2000s defined two golden decades of my experience in Japan,” he recalls. One of Japan’s most famous photographers, Sasayama has photographed everyone from John Lennon and Yoko Ono to novelist Yukio Mishima.

Since 2008, Inoue has had an ongoing creative collaboration with Leslie Kee, a Singaporean photographer living in Japan. [his] artwork. ” Over the past decade, the pair have collaborated on various projects, including the photography exhibition “Bookish” and the magazine feature “Beautiful Inspiration.”

Define avant-garde

Although Inoue’s innovative combination of photography and typography is often defined as “avant-garde,” he himself does not pursue this title. “I never see any of my work as ‘avant-garde’ or ‘classic normalcy,'” he says. “However, I naturally find myself coaching photographers on the clever use of lighting and angles in scenes, which often results in unique and interesting compositions; perhaps this is what my audience considers ‘edgy’.”

It’s a rather modest survey of his vast body of work and hugely influential legacy, but Inoue’s goals as an artist are truly that simple: the pursuit of originality and intrigue. This may be the secret to the lasting power of his work. “I was never interested in creating any trends,” he recalls. “My goal is always to present timeless artwork to clients and, more importantly, communicate something that we truly believe has never been done before.”

His commitment to practical techniques is also worth mentioning. “I’m not interested in digital creativity, and to this day, all my art is analog-based human work,” Inoue said. “I hope to see more young creators actively discover new perspectives and enhance their identities.”

More information

Inoue Tsuya graphicsis a comprehensive survey of Inoue’s oeuvre, featuring 503 works created between 1981 and 2024, and is available from various online retailers and selected bookstores.

Tsuguya Inoue Graphics, cover, 2025. Art direction and design: Tsuguya Inoue. Design: Jun Inagaki. Photographer: Tamaki Yoshida. Editor: Dongma Fumei. Producer: Sun Jiabang. Publisher: Little Moore Ltd.

Related posts