Inspired by the Bauhaus, by Jazz and by American graphic design, Ikko Tanaka (1930-2002) was one of the most influential Japanese graphic designers of the 20th century. Rooted in the aesthetic tradition of Japan, he sought to translate it into the present. His American colleague Ivan Chermayeff called him "distiller of visual truth".

Born in 1930 in Nara, Tanaka studied at Kyoto Municipal Art College. He initially worked as a pattern designer in the textile industry, then as an exhibition designer until he founded his own graphic design studio in Tokyo in 1963. In 1964, works by Tanaka were shown at Documenta 3. His work ranges from Art Direction for companies such as Seibu, Mazda, Issey Miyake and Shiseido to book design, typographic experiments and logos. His posters, designed for cultural events, but also for font manufacturers, printers, magazines and architects, became internationally known.

Posters from New Collection - the Design Museum, Donation by the DNP Foundation for Cultural Promotion, Tokyo.