Yūsaku Kamekura (亀倉雄策), born in 1915, was a pioneering Japanese graphic designer, illustrator, and the leading figure in postwar Japanese graphic design.
From 1935 to 1937, he studied at Renshichirō Kawakita's Academy of New Architecture and Industrial Arts (Shin Kenchiku Kogei Gakuin), which was heavily influenced by the German Bauhaus movement, still active at the time of the academy’s founding in 1931.

After graduation, Kamekura began working for the magazine Nippon in 1938, where he was responsible for layout design. His innovative work quickly established him as one of the most influential visual artists in Japan during the 20th century. Throughout his career, Kamekura co-founded several key design organizations, including the Japan Advertising Artist Club (JAAC) in 1951, the Nippon Design Center (NDC) in 1960, and the Japan Graphic Designers Association (JAGDA) in 1978, shaping the future of Japanese design.

At the NDC, he served as the director for two years, helping secure the sponsorship of major corporations such as Asahi Beer, Toyota, Japan Railways, and Toshiba, before embarking on his own independent career.
Kamekura’s most iconic achievement came in the early 1960s when he won the design competition for the Logo of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. His bold, modernist approach set a new standard for future Olympic branding and influenced generations of designers worldwide.

Throughout his career, Kamekura continuously bridged the gap between traditional Japanese aesthetics and modern design, crafting a distinctive visual language that gained global recognition. While his poster designs are perhaps his most celebrated works, he also created numerous iconic corporate logos, including those for NTT, Nikon, Meiji, and TDK. One of his most influential projects was the 1965 book Trademarks and Symbols of the World, in which he explored what he considered the finest logo designs, with a preface by Paul Rand. (ss)