Exhibition Archive
Exhibition information
The 54th Shueitai 100
June 11, 2011 - September 11, 2011
CCGA will mount "Shueitai 100," an exhibition commemorating the centennial anniversary of the creation of Shueitai, an original printing type first introduced by Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. in 1912 and still in wide use. Shueitai is one of the two main styles within the Ming-cho typeface family, the other being Tsukijitai, and its influence on subsequent Japanese typefaces has been seminal. To convey Shueitai's ageless appeal, the exhibition will feature new poster works by 24 graphic designers and one design team, all on the theme of "the four seasons." In addition, through a broad array of works including books, posters and advertising, the exhibition will offer visitors an overview of Shueitai's one hundred years amidst the dynamic changes from the days of movable type to its current applications in the digital era.
Hours
10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Admission until 4:45 p.m.)
Closed
Monday and the day after a public holiday
Admission
Free (only for this exhibition)
Shueitai is a typeface that has been under ongoing development for more than a century, starting from the days when Dai Nippon Printing Co. was still known as Shueisha.
As Japan underwent rapid modernization during the early years of the Meiji era, Shueisha, believing that printing was a business befitting a modern civilized society, began operations with a focus on movable type printing. Before long the company expanded into developing its own typefaces. One hundred years ago, in 1912 it completed a full range of Ming-cho type, in sizes from No. 1 through No. 8 (42~4pt), which it called "Shueitai," a new style that came to form one of the two mainstreams of Japanese typefaces and continues to have a significant influence on font design even today.
The Shueitai typeface is distinguished by abundant variations matching the size of type and the changing demands of the times. Whether it is the spirited and powerful No. 1 (42pt), the delicate and flowing No. 3 (16pt), or the bright and solidly reassuring Shuei-Ming-cho L, all Shueitai typefaces share a vibrant brushwork that adds an expression of eloquence and a burst of brilliance to every printed word.
In the past century the world has witnessed vast changes in the environment surrounding the printed word, with the transition first from movable type publishing to desktop printing, and most recently to e-books. But no matter how this environment might evolve, the written word remains the basis of communication, and the importance of beautiful and easy-to-read typefaces stays unchanged.
In preparation for the changes that will inevitably come during the next one hundred years, today DNP has launched a major project for renewing the Shueitai designs. For this exhibition, leading designers were asked to create posters using the Shueitai typeface-a challenging task expected to open up new possibilities for the future. Through its continual reinvention, Shueitai, a typeface consistently adopted at the vanguard of the industry, perhaps represents Japanese innovation at its very best.
New Works
25 Designers Exhibiting New Works (The Four Seasons of Shueitai):
Katsumi Asaba, Kenya Hara, Kazunari Hattori, Keiko Hirano, Koga Hirano, Tsuguya Inoue, Kaoru Kasai, Mitsuo Katsui, Kontrapunkt (Denmark), Shin Matsunaga, Ken Miki, Kazumasa Nagai, Rikako Nagashima, Hideki Nakajima, Masayoshi Nakajo, Norio Nakamura, Toshiyasu Nanbu, Kenjiro Sano, Koichi Sato, Katsuhiko Shibuya, Shin Sobue, Shinnoske Sugisaki, Kohei Sugiura, Fumio Tachibana, Yoshimaru Takahashi (alphabetical order)
