PHILOSOPHY

American Socialist and Realist painter Ben Shahn (1898-1969) was one of Awazu's biggest inspirations as he began exploring design. With simple shapes and expressive graphics, Shahn created work pushing for social and political justice, providing a voice for the common worker, underprivileged citizens, and social outcasts. The use of simple shapes and linework to evoke powerful social messages can be related to that of Awazu's philosophy "Design is to open and open doors that are not open one after another." Avoiding "high-culture" themes, Awazu veered away from commercial clients, instead designing for cultural events and personal political commentary, using vibrant colors and dramatic imagery to tell the unheard narratives of ordinary people.

The designer’s mission is to extend the rural into the city, foreground the folklore, reawaken the past, summon back the outdated.

Awazu's style of deconstructing traditional Japanese graphics to create psychedelic and immersive visual experiences is playful and captivating, and his use of meandering linework and hallucinogenic cornucopias create artwork that simultaneously evoke joy but also grief. Most importantly, his philosophy of leveraging design as a tool for social commitment and responsibility resonates within all designers today. Instead of hiding from the truths of the real world, he enhances and shares them with his inner vision.

Featured is a one minute paper-cut stop motion animation of Awazu's perspectives on creation and the designer's duty to connect the past, present, and future.