PROFILE

Description

Description

At the dawn of graphic design, Hideo Mukai emerged as a brilliant art director as well as a talented copywriter. The unique characteristic of Mukai’s work is the combination of his innovative catch copies and his charming body copies. His advertisements with innovative layout compositions and beautiful visuals made you feel as if you were watching a scene from a film. His catch copy appealed to human nature and captured people's hearts. And, his body copy had a charm that drew you into its world as if you were reading a novel.
"Mukai Hideo no ato direkushon Hideo Mukai and His Work" (SEIBUNDO SHINKOSHA, 1974), the only book Mukai published on his own in his lifetime, is a compilation of his 15 years of work at LIGHT PUBLICITY. In it he described his thoughts on the role of advertising and on what art direction meant. "Advertising is a medium of communication between enterprises and people. It has two aspects: one is its function as a purely economic activity to ‘sell things’, and the other is the aesthetics it transmits into people's living spaces". "How can we stand at the interface of these two poles (marketing and art) and make them respond to each other?" He believed that this was the job of the art director and advocated that "creativity is not a method, but an idea". At the time of the 1950s, the term "design policy" was spreading worldwide. It is said that the critic Masaru Katsumie was the first to introduce the term to Japan. Overseas, designers were beginning to help companies establish their corporate identity under the design policy. Because Mukai believed that “advertising design also plays a part in spreading corporate identity”, he held discussions with the top management of the client's company as soon as possible at the beginning of the project. Through repeated discussions, reading company histories and documents, he explored the essence of the product and guided the company in the direction it should take through the advertisement. For example, he pointed out, “Although Toray is a textile manufacturer, its end product is a one that is consumed in daily life, such as socks”, and "The target customer of its sales activities is the end user, not the spinning manufacturer". Planning from the very beginning of product development, such as when the development of the original snow wear involved working with Shiseido to bring out new aspects of the product, has brought the company great rewards.
While the focus of car advertising at the time was on the mechanism, at Nissan Motor Company the subject of "what is a car" was pursued and it was considered important to "create waves in the hearts and minds of young users". This led to the Skyline ad series with the theme of "love". The revamped advertising resulted in a 400% increase in sales.
Mukai contributed to the establishment of the art director profession in Japan and the improvement of its status. Together with Tomio Nobuta, the president of LIGHT PUBLICITY, and Iwao Hosoya, he introduced photographs into advertising design and pioneered new expressions. The archival material on Hideo Mukai is currently stored and managed by his surviving family. We interviewed graphic designer Mr Hiroshi Kojitani, who had worked under Mukai and was instrumental in the donation of Mukai’s work to some organizations, and Ms Keiko Saito, who had worked at his office after he became independent. We asked them about Mukai's attitude towards his work and what he was really like in his office.

Masterpiece

Masterpiece

Art director & Copywriter (LIGHT PUBLICITY)

"Hitsuji mo nakayoshi" Toyo Rayon (now TORAY) (1959)； "Ryou wo yobu seni no kakuteru" TORAY (1960)； "0.91 no seni" TORAY (1963)； "O no kiseki" Citizen Watch (1963)； "Shikimono o hazushite 11 nen" "Shouwa 26 nen 3 gatsu kakumei" Sumitomo Bakelite (1963)； "Gijutsu no supai ga suppai kao wo shita" "Sekai no udedokei wa jidoumaki dakeno jidai wo owarimashita" Citizen Watch (1964)； "Hitoni ha konomi ga arukotokara syuppatsu shiteimasu" "Furyouhin ga hitotsu mo denai riyu - " TOYO TOKI (now TOTO) (1969)；　"’Chuyagata fushigi　no　me’ hai konpakuto de toujyou" Canon (1970)；　"’Nemureru shishi’ to iwareta nihon no Canon ga kono 1 dai no kamera ni 5 nen no saigetsu o kaketeimasita" Toyo Rayon (now TORAY) (1959)； "Gogo 5 ji no kage wo kese !" BRAUN (1972)；"Otona no kibun dana" Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association (1972)； "Ken to meri no sukairain toujou" Nissan Motor Corporation (1973)；"Ken to meri kara arigatou" "Ken to Meri wa gomi wo sutemasen" Nissan Motor Corporation (1974)

Art director (LIGHT PUBLICITY)

"Yamaha wo tsukuru 13 no ki" Nippon Gakki (now Yamaha) (1966); "Made in Japan no ongaku kyousitsu" "Arasuka no ki wa nido taiheiyou wo watarimasu" "Yutakana jyousou wo atokara okane de kaeru deshouka?" Yamaha (1967)； "Kore wa watashi no mono da, darenimo watasanai" "Kanojo wa umaretekuru kodomo wo pianisuto ni suru tsumori wa arimasen" Yamaha (1968)； "Saa koi, nagaame" Kurashiki Rayon (now Kuraray) (1968)； "Buhinsouko ga chiisakutemo buhin wa jubun sugiru hodo desu" TOTO (1970)； "Gomanzoku desuka, sinbun koukoku. Anata no jyogen wo ookuri kudasai" Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association (1970)； "Kokoro ga, masumasu taisetsu ni sareru jidai desu" Yamaha (1970)； "Chiisana tameiki ga umareru – ookina GLORIA" Nissan Motor Corporation (1971)

Art director & Copywriter (Mukai Design Planning Office)

"Osouzai no ‘sou’ wa mono wo kokoro ga sasaeteimasu" "Toki no hito ‘sukedoudara’ wo omeni kakemasu" KIBUN FOODS (1978)； "‘Jun’ ni naruna ‘Jun’ ni nare" TAKARA SHUZO (1978)； "Tsuiido wo otoko kara ubae" "Onna ga hitoritabi ni derutoki" MATSUYA GINZA (1978)； "Oshougatsu koso Nihonjin" "Umi no sachi ka,yama no sachika, KIBUN no ‘hanpen’” "’Oden’ te hyuman desune" KIBUN FOODS (1979)； "Uesuto saizu monogatari" KIBUN FOODS (1981)； "Kiru to tsuyosa ga miemasu" Sanyo Kokusai Pulp (now Nippon Paper Industries) (1981)； "Pakkeji mo hinshitsu no hitotsu to kangaete kimashita" Snow Brand Milk Products (now MEGMILK SNOW BRAND) (1982)； " Simple & Compact imeji wa ikimono datta" Zojirushi Corporation (1985)； "Tentou dewa mune no wappen wo hazusite imasugane" Mitsubishi Corporation (1985)； "Asonde tara, konnano dekimashita" KIBUN FOODS (1986)； "Fuumizekka ‘Taisei’ ga pan wo yaki hajimemasu" TAISEI CORPORATION (1986)； "Tatta 2 moji no kono KIBUN no yakiin wo osukotonimo iroiro no monogatari ga arimashita" KIBUN FOODS (1990)； "Namerakatte aji nanda" KIBUN FOODS (1991)

Creative director（Mukai Design Planning Office）

"Attakai na. Kore." "Yabure. Yabure." MATSUYA GINZA (1983); "Tokyo no oseibo. 1983 nen Ginza monogatari" MATSUYA GINZA (1984); "Dezain no MATSUYA desu" MATSUYA GINZA (1986); "Kazoku hare" "MATSUYA ga kawaru toukyou ga kawaru" MATSUYA GINZA (1990)

Books

"Mukai Hideo no ato direkushon Hideo Mukai and His Work", SEIBUNDO SHINKOSHA (1974); “Sekai no gurafikkudezain 4 adobataizumento”, Authors: Hideo Mukai, Kazumasa Nagai and Yusuke Kaji, KODANSHA (1974)

Interview 1

Interview 01:　Hiroshi Kōjitani

Date: 4 September 2024, 14:00-16:00
Location: K-PLUS
Interviewees: Hiroshi Kōjitani
Interviewers: Aia Urakawa
Writing: Aia Urakawa

The key to art direction is to appeal both conceptually and visually

INTRODUCTION

Hideo Mukai's archival materials are kept and managed by his surviving family. They include: newspapers and magazines (articles, etc.) that were left at the Mukai Design Planning Office; manga featuring Hideo Mukai as a model; and works exhibited at the “Homage to Hideo Mukai Exhibition” at ginza graphic gallery (ggg) in 1993, which were reproduced in reprinted form and made into panels. Mukai’s book collection (about 500 books which were mainly design-related books from overseas) were donated to the library of the Tohoku University of Art And Design. The collection is now available to the public as the “Hideo Mukai Collection” and the books are used by aspiring design students as reference materials. They donated approximately 2,000 pieces of “works that Hideo Mukai was involved in as an art director” and “works that Hideo Mukai was involved in as an art director, designer, and copywriter” to the KAWASAKI CITY MUSEUM. The donated works, of which there was only one copy, were photocopied in full size, while those remaining in multiple copies were kept by the surviving family. After accepting the donation, the KAWASAKI CITY MUSEUM held the “Hideo Mukai's Advertising Aesthetics Exhibition” in 1996.　No catalogue was produced, but a local cable TV station produced a program and a videotape and a DVD recording of the program were made. By the flooding of the Tama River in Typhoon No. 19 in 2019, the KAWASAKI CITY MUSEUM, along with other valuable collections, was submerged in water, as well as Hideo Mukai's materials. The museum is currently undergoing rescue, and Hideo Mukai's works are being cleaned and other emergency measures are being taken.

Instrumental in donating the archival materials to the KAWASAKI CITY MUSEUM

ー　During our 2019 coverage of PLAT's Design Archive, we heard that it was you who were instrumental in donating Mr Mukai's archive materials to the KAWASAKI CITY MUSEUM. Would you tell us how that came about?

Kōjitani　On the first anniversary of Mr Mukai's passing in 1993, the "Homage Hideo Mukai Exhibition" was held at the ginza graphic gallery (ggg) in 1993. The exhibition featured a selection of Mukai's archive material kept by his surviving family and by LIGHT PUBLICITY. I thought it would be a waste if these works were put away again, and that it would be appreciated if they were donated to somewhere. So, I consulted with the surviving family and they agreed. Through the introduction by my colleagues and acquaintances, I approached various art colleges and libraries. However, they were all turned down because they were told that there was neither space nor room to take them on and manage them at the moment.

ー　In the 1990s in Japan, the appreciation of the value of archival materials and the awareness of the need to preserve and pass them on to future generations were probably not as high as it is today. I heard that it was with the help of Mr Kiyoshi Awazu that you were then able to donate them to the KAWASAKI CITY MUSEUM.

Kōjitani　Yes. Mr Awazu said to me, "How about the KAWASAKI CITY MUSEUM? ". Mr Awazu had a studio in Kawasaki City, so he said, "I'll introduce you and you should go and talk to them". So, I decided to go there. The KAWASAKI CITY MUSEUM was just completed in 1988. When I heard that its archives included original manga drawings and materials, I thought there might be some hope.
When I met the museum director and discussed the matter with him, he appreciated Mr Mukai's achievements and said that he would only accept the gera prints (proof sheets) of the newspaper advertisements, which reassured me that Mr Mukai's work in newspaper advertising, which led the era, would be properly preserved. I learnt only then that it was very difficult to store and manage these archival materials. In particular, the quality of the paper used to print the geras is not very good, so it takes a lot of time, effort and money to preserve them properly, especially when it comes to humidity.

ー　In fact, the KAWASAKI CITY MUSEUM suffered damage to some 230,000 items out of its collection of about 260,000 items due to the flooding of the Tama River in Typhoon 19 in 2019, and the materials of Mr Hideo Mukai were also submerged.

Kōjitani　Is that so?

ー　Rescue work, including first aid, is still ongoing, and Ms Mukai's artwork is also undergoing cleaning and other first aid measures. We were told that the family had almost all the same materials that you had donated. So it is good to know that valuable archival materials are still available.

Brought new expressions to the world of advertising

ー　We would like to ask you to select photographs of some of Mr Mukai's best-known works, in line with the family's wishes. I believe that you saw Mr Mukai's advertisements in the newspapers at the time. Which of his works that left a particularly strong impression on you or were talked about?

Kōjitani　The main medium for advertising during Mr Mukai's working life was newspaper adverts. And every day, every time I opened the newspaper, I was surprised. I immediately recognised Mr Mukai's work and newspaper advertisements. It was exciting, shocking and interesting. He was a really good storyteller, with a great visual and conceptual representation of every product that I wondered how on earth he was going to explain. Advertisements such as "Yamaha wo tsukuru 13 no ki", showing how Yamaha pianos were made from such trees, and TOTO's advertisements showing dismantled faucet parts arranged in a row, were a hot topic at the time. I was also shocked when Nissan's "SKYLINE of Love" series and TORAY's "Ryou o yobu seni no kakuteru" appeared.
KIBUN FOODS's "Waist Size Story" was also interesting. It was the time when the "West Side Story" films were being talked about, and the copy was a hook to that. In the past, a fat figure was a status symbol for successful people, but there was a trend in the USA and Europe to rethink their dietary habits and to learn from the Japanese diet. Recognizing this trend, KIBUN FOODS's product was billed as a "high-protein, low-fat healthy food". Canon's cat ad, "Cat’s eye Canonet ’Chuyagata fushigi　no　me’ hai konpakuto de toujou" was also a hot topic of conversation. At that time LIGHT PUBLICITY was doing Canon's ads and Nippon Design Center was doing Nikon's. Then, Nikon was the leader in the camera industry, so LIGHT PUBLICITY was competing with Nippon Design Center to catch up and overtake them. In the beer industry advertising, LIGHT PUBLICITY was producing adverts for Sapporo Breweries and Nippon Design Center for ASAHI BREWERIES.

ー　Mr Mukai was a pioneering art director. The book "Ato direkushyon tsudei Art Direction Today" (KODANSHA, 1984) was recommended by Ms Yoshiko Saito, who worked at Mr Mukai's office. It was published to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Tokyo Art Directors Club (ADC) and contained an article by Mr Mukai on the background of the birth of the ADC. Around 1950, after the war, when Japanese advertising activity began to revive, the function of "art director" began to be discussed. In the USA there were already 2,000 art directors, but no one in Japan fitted the bill. So, it was proposed to create an association of art directors in Japan, with Michio Fujimoto and Tamimasa Kawasaki as sponsors, and Takeharu Imaizumi drafting the main purpose and rules and so the ADC was formed in 1952. However, compared to the work of designers abroad, Mr Mukai concluded his text by saying that "we still need more time in Japan".

Kōjitani　The art director whom Mr Mukai referred to as "Sensei" was Mr Hideshige Ota (1892-1982). I never met him, but he and others around him were probably the originators of the art director profession.

ー　Mr Hideshige Ota was also mentioned in "Mukai Hideo no ato direkushon Hideo Mukai and His Work". Mr Mukai wrote, "If there is anything common in my art direction, it is the emphatic teachings of Mr Hideshige Ota, who 25 years ago demanded that ‘love for human beings’ be placed at the basis of all advertising ideas".
It is said that the first to incorporate photographs into graphic design advertising were Mr Tomio Nobuta, the president of LIGHT PUBLICITY, Mr Iwao Hosoya and Mr Mukai. Mr Mukai joined LIGHT PUBLICITY in 1957.

Kōjitani　At that time, LIGHT PUBLICITY had an art director who could do photo direction, Mr Jo Murakoshi, who trained a young commercial photographer, Mr Osamu Hayasaki, who participated in the Tokyo Olympics poster with Mr Yusaku Kamekura and Toray's calendar, etc. The field of commercial photography was He was developing the field of commercial photography, and the emergence of new photo visuals was attracting attention. It was also around that time that Mr Kishin Shinoyama made his debut. One of the distinctive features of Mr Mukai's newspaper advertisement design is the use of photography. He was a pioneer.

The work of Hideo Mukai at MATSUYA GINZA

ー　What was the nature of the work in the advertising department of Matsuya Ginza that Mr Mukai was involved in?

Kōjitani　At that time, department store advertising was mainly newspaper adverts, and there were no TV or magazine adverts yet. In the beginning, the main copy was also written by Mr Mukai. Mr Mukai was an art director and copywriter. Once the main copy was decided by him, it was developed into newspaper adverts, posters and displays.
In the advertising department, there were three designers in total, two in addition to myself. The workload was extremely heavy, and as Mukai-sensei could not see every detail, we would follow his art direction and then proceed with our own individual design work, going to light publicity to have it looked at.

ー　I hear that the world of graphic design has been busy since 1960.

Kōjitani　I had that impression. It was also a result of the World Design Congress being held in Japan. While the number of graphic designers was still small, the demand for graphic design work increased as the economy grew. For example, book binding was probably done by editors until then, but there was a growing awareness of book design, and when the big-name designers couldn't handle it, the work was given to the younger generation. When I won a prize at the Nissenbi Exhibition, which was said to be a gateway to success for designers, I started to receive offers and was involved in bookbinding for SHINCHOSHA and KODANSHA.
I did all of this work on my desk in the publicity department of Matsuya Ginza. I was so busy that I didn't even have time to take the work home with me, so I only went back to my flat to change clothes or to sleep a little. I spent several days of the month staying up all night at the office, and I spread out into different genres and got one graphic design job after another.

When the Ginza area was full of superstars

ー　Did Mr Mukai come to MATSUYA GINZA every day?

Kōjitani　Mr Mukai came to MATSUYA GINZA only when there were major meetings or conferences. I was more likely to go to LIGHT PUBLICITY because we were in the same Ginza and close to each other. It was officially recognized that Mr Mukai was an advisor to MATSUYA GINZA, so, accordingly no one said anything when I went in and out of LIGHT PUBLICITY. Sometimes when I went to LIGHT PUBLICITY, Mr Mukai would say, "Ko-chan, you've come in at the right moment", and I would get a chance to see the ongoing geriatric prints of TORAY and Yamaha newspaper adverts. This was something to look forward to. I was always surprised every time and always wondered where they got these ideas from.

ー　Mr Makoto Wada joined LIGHT PUBLICITY in 1959. In his book "Ginza kaiwai dokidoki no hibi" (BUNGEISHUNJU, 1997), there is an illustration of the seating arrangement of the LIGHT PUBLICITY production room at that time, which portrays an amazing group of people.

Kōjitani　There were many superstars there, including Mr Ikko Tanaka, whom I admired as my mentor and brother, so I really enjoyed going to LIGHT PUBLICITY. I met Mr Makoto Wada, Mr Iwao Hosoya, Mr Yuzo Yamashita and Mr Shinzo Higurashi there and became good friends. Mr Hosoya was two years older than me, Mr Wada and Mr Yamashita were one year older, and Mr Higurashi was a bit younger, so there were a lot of people in that same age group. I received the Encouragement Prize at the Nissenbi Exhibition in 1959, which attracted a lot of attention because it was said that a young man from the Kansai region had won the prize, so I became good friends with everyone there.
The president, Mr Nobuta, often wandered around the room where everyone was, even though there was an office for the president. There was an atmosphere in which everyone was talking silly and having fun together rather than working at the company. Many foreign magazines were delivered to the office. As those magazines arrived, people fought each other to snatch them first to have a look. After a while, it came to me and I looked at it, and the pages were missing in places. Mr Nobuta and Mr Mukai accepted that if they found something good, they would take it and make it their own, and that it was their right to tear out the pages, if it was for their own creations. In short, the first one to see it wins. Mr Mukai also encouraged a free atmosphere that valued information in everyday life.

ー　There was also the Nippon Design Center in Ginza, where there were many unique designers.

Kōjitani　Nippon Design Center was established in 1959 at the urging of Mr Yusaku Kamekura, Mr Hiromu Hara and Mr Ryuichi Yamashiro. It was located in the immediate neighbourhood of the Advertising Department of MATSUYA GINZA, and my old acquaintances Mr Kazumasa Nagai, Mr Tsunehisa Kimura and Mr Ikko Tanaka, who had moved to Tokyo from LIGHT PUBLICITY, would often go to dinner with us and visit us. I also became friends with Mr Akira Uno, Mr Ishio Harada, Mr Tadanori Yokoo and Mr Atsuko Anzai. However, as expected, I never invited Mukai-sensei to join us.

ー　Mr Yoshio Hayakawa also opened an office in Ginza in 1961. I heard Mr Hayakawa and Mr Yamashiro were very close friends. Did they ever work together?

Kōjitani　I don't think they ever worked together. Mr Yamashiro was impatient and Mr Hayakawa was laid-back, completely different types. Mr Hayakawa and Mr Yamashiro were really good friends, and when I was at his office in Osaka, he used to take me out for drinks. When I went to the Nippon Design Center to visit him, he would say, ‘Kochan, come here’ and invite me to his room, which surprised everyone around me. They wondered how such a young man could talk so fluently with Mr Yamashiro.

ー　Have Mr Mukai and Mr Yamashiro ever worked together?

Kōjitani　Yes, they worked together. Many advertising masterpieces have been created. TOSHIBA CORPORATION's "I did it!" is a historical masterpiece in the history of Japanese advertising design. It was an advertisement for the introduction of an easy and convenient electric rice cooker that did not require water or fire. The appearance of Yoshiro Yamashita's illustrations was also fresh and sensational! It was a super hit.

"Toshiba Electric Kettle", TOSHIBA CORPORATION (1958)
AD: Kikuma Terao, Artists: Ryuichi Yamashiro, Yoshiro Yamashita, Hideo Mukai

Kōjitani　There is an interesting episode when Mr Yamashiro and Mr Mukai were working together on that series of TOSHIBA CORPORATION’s masterpieces. Mr Yamashiro had worked at Takashimaya Company and was freelance from 1956, working from his home. LIGHT PUBLICITY had Mr Mukai and Mr Ikko Tanaka. In those days there was no email or fax, so Mr Mukai would put the finished copy in an envelope and give it to Mr Tanaka, who would then deliver the envelope to Mr Yamashiro's home on his way home.
When Mr Ikko Tanaka came to Tokyo from Nara, Mr Yamashiro was looking for a place for him to live near his house, which happened to be close to his house, so he approached Mr Tanaka.
Later, Mr Tanaka told me that it was a secret, but every time on the train on the way home, Mr Tanaka would secretly open the envelope given to him by Mukai-sensei, read the copy and think about how he would make the visuals. So after a while, Mr Ryuichi Yamashiro's work appeared in a newspaper advertisement. He was struck in the knees when he saw the advertisement, which combined the copy and visuals, and thought, "Oh, so this is how it's going to be." Mr Tanaka said he learnt a lot from that.

Hideo Mukai's personality and attitude towards his work

ー　After Mr Mukai went independent, you worked with him, didn’t you.

Kōjitani　Mr Mukai, who was at LIGHT PUBLICITY, never asked me at MATSUYA GINZA to do any work for him, but after he became independent, he did ask me to do some small jobs. I once designed the vacuum-packed packaging for KIBUN FOODS's frozen eel products. I did something unusual with a new form of product in which the chilled packs were cooked in hot water: ‘Kabayaki broiled in hot water.’ How really umai! They sold well.
I often visited Mr Mukai's Akasaka office for meetings. It was a very beautiful office with a big round table. Mr Mukai used a black leather chair by Charles Eames for his work, and after he passed away, his wife asked me, "Would you like to have it?." That's why I am still working with Mr Mukai.

"Edomae Unagiya", KIBUN FOODS (1979)
AD: Hideo Mukai, D: Hideo Mukai, Yukichi Mori, P: Masaaki Kobayashi, C: Hideo Mukai

ー　What was Mr Mukai's personality like?

Kōjitani　He was kind, gentle and really nice. He was not a yelling kind of person at all, but he was scary and strict, like he would go around and attack you, asking you why you felt that way and what was the reason for it.
I had three mentors: Mr Hayakawa, Mr Mukai and Mr Tanaka. Mukai Sensei was a man who thought logically about why, what to do and where to blame, while Hayakawa Sensei was a man of sensitivity and inspiration, and Mr Tanaka was a man who had a balance of both. Whenever I am stuck for an idea, I try to imagine what they would do. I wonder how Mr Hayakawa would think, how Mr Mukai would think and how Mr Tanaka would think.

ー　Did you meet Mr Mukai in private?

Kōjitani　Yes, we already met frequently. Mr Mukai was a gourmet, and in the days before the food magazine "dancyu" was still published, I also liked to eat, and he knew this, so he would contact me and say, "Ko-chan, I found a good place," and he would take me to restaurants. In the 1980s, when the three-star Parisian restaurant TOUR D'ARGENT moved into the Hotel New Otani, Mr Mukai promptly invited me to dinner. We spent a lot of time talking that night, with Mr Mukai sharing his knowledge of food and Kojitani sharing his knowledge of wine. It was so exciting that even chef-sommelier Mr Takashi Atsuta intervened. This is one of my most cherished memories with Mr Mukai.

ー　Did you and he talk about work and design at such times?

Kōjitani　Many things, all of them. Mr Mukai talked a lot. His stories were also interesting. He was interested in many things, was curious or greedy, and had a wealth of knowledge. He would come up with one topic after another, saying things like, "Oh, by the way..." He was also very tongue-tied. It's because he was tongue-tied that he was interesting. There are a lot of stories that can't be told here.

ー　What have you learnt from Mr Mukai?

Kōjitani　Everything. I was truly educated by him. Ultimately, I learnt about how to think about things through design. Specifically, Mr Mukai often said that there are two sides to art direction: you have to conceptualise and build, but at the same time it has to be visually interesting, fun and complete. He said that it is important to stand on both sides of this, on two legs. It has to be beautiful, it has to be interesting. Visuals are important, and the meaning and concept of those visuals are also important. His basic idea was to use both to enhance the appeal. There is one quote from him that I still keep in my seat. "Art directors who can't write catchphrases are no good".

ー　Thank you for your valuable story.

Interview 2

Interview 02:　Yoshiko Saito

Date: 18 June 2024, 13:30-15:30
Location: coffee shop, Tokyo
Interviewees: Yoshiko Saito
Interviewers: Aia Urakawa
Writing: Aia Urakawa

After becoming independent, he worked at his own pace and In his own style

Worked as a secretary at Hideo Mukai's office

ー　How did you come to join Mr Mukai's office?

Saito　I originally wanted to be a copywriter. After graduation, my part-time job at university led me to join an advertising agency, Sogei, where I left after a year and a half after experiencing the work and role of an advertising agency. Just as I was thinking of qualifying as a librarian, there was a job vacancy in the specialised library at my alma mater and I took over for a friend, but I still couldn't give up the world of advertising production, so I went to the copywriter training school Sendenkaigi at night and took the opportunity to change jobs when my graduation project was selected.
I went to an interview at Mr Hideo Mukai's office through an introduction by Mr Tsutomu Takeda, a senior member of the Advertising Studies Group and a copywriter. He told me, "You should go to Mr Hideo Mukai's office", so I went to his office in Akasaka. I was very nervous because Mr Hideo Mukai's name was on the jury of various newspaper advertising awards. I didn't take my work with me, as I still had only a few copywriters' pieces. I was admitted within five minutes of him returning from work to look over my CV. I was a little relieved, as the office, Mr Mukai and his senior colleague Ms Fujita were somewhat like relatives. I was 28 when I made my debut as a copywriter and it was 1978, when I was 30, when I joined Mr Mukai.

ー　What kind of work did you do in Mukai's office?

Saito　I was taught by Ms Fujita about the secretarial work at the Mukai Design Planning Office, and I coordinated the schedule of Mr Mukai, the production staff, and meetings with clients, including the schedule of visitors. I also cleaned up all the proposals and copy written by the teacher, and once the final draft was in manuscript, it was my job to proofread the text. I also organised the proofreading papers, the magazine and materials, delivered manuscripts and other materials to the client, and went to receive the finished illustrations. It's a kind of assistant job. It was an invaluable experience for me in my work as a creator. Ms Fujita, was mainly responsible for managing the accounts, and as a stylist, he arranged the equipment used for the shoots.

ー　Mr Mukai did not take on anyone as an apprentice. So, did he do all the production work by himself?

Saito　Designer Mr Yukichi Mori's Mori Design Office was located on the floor below the office flat in Akasaka. Mr Mori would create designs from thumbnails and rough designs devised by Mr Mukai, and the staff of the Mori Design Office would produce the block prints, do the layout, and when he was busy, they would do the colour proofing for him. When Mr Mukai was looking for an office space after becoming independent from LIGHT PUBLICITY, it was Mr Mori who told him about a vacant flat in Akasaka. Mr Mori was originally from MATSUYA GINZA.
Mr Mukai's work at the time involved all print media, including newspapers, magazines, posters, catalogues and calendars, and when photographs or illustrations were included in advertising materials, he would ask the photographers and illustrators who were best suited to the visuals.

ー　He must have been busy, so did he have piles of books and materials in his office?

Saito　No, it was always very clean. It was a large studio room with a big round wooden table, where clients, printers and others would come to have meetings and proofread manuscripts. The ceiling and walls were white, there were bookshelves with storage, the furniture was still white and made in Sweden, and the coffee cups and plates were all brand-name products. The shelves that I had custom-made for me contained proof sheets of the proofs for each client, and I disposed of the first and second drafts when they were no longer needed. We would receive about 10 proofs from the printers, so we kept them for submission to various places, such as the Tokyo Art Directors Club (ADC), the Japan Graphic Design Association (JAGDA) and competitions for various newspapers.
Mr Mukai threw away unnecessary things as he went along, and his desk was always neat and tidy, with only manuscript paper, the day's newspaper, a stainless steel ashtray, a pen stand, mail and a loupe on it, and the materials he needed at the time on a side table. Ms Fujita and I took it in turns to clean up every morning, and when he had time, he would tidy up the materials himself, and sometimes after the customers left, he would do the dishes, saying, "Okay, I'll take care of it". In the meantime, I would go to the "foyer", a coffee shop on the ground floor of the office flat, to call for customers who were waiting for me.

Hideo Mukai's work timescale for the day

ー　What kind of time schedule did Mr Mukai work on?

Saito　When he could come to the office, he often had meetings. He worked from about 13:00 to 18:00 in the afternoon, sometimes late into the night before a proposal or presentation, and sometimes he would come in on weekends. Once a week or so, he would stay at the Hotel Okura to work, carrying materials and small items in an attaché case. I think he prioritised work over his private life. I was amazed at the new ideas he came up with each time during those busy days.

ー　How do you see Mukai's work?

Saito　At the time, in the 1970s, there were many progressive expressions that were changing and enlightening society through advertising: the copy written by Mr Koichi Tsuchiya for an Isetan advertisement in 1973 - "Konnichiwa doyoubi kun" was a reference to the introduction of a two-day weekend in Japan in the early 1970s, a change from Sunday being the only weekly holiday. In the 1974 Parco advertisement, art direction by Ms　Eiko Ishioka, these copies, ‘"Moderu date kao dakeja dame nanda (Model can’t be just a pretty face)" was based on the theme of women's way of life.
Mr Mukai is best known for his "SKYLINE of Love" series of advertisements for Nissan Motor Corporation. It featured a couple, Ken and Mary, travelling through the seasons - spring, summer, autumn and winter, and enjoying the richness of their time together through the SKYLINE. Also, these two copies, "Taiyou to shizen wa minna no mochimono, ken to meri wa gomi o sutemasen (The sun and the nature belong to everyone, Ken and Mary do not litter)" and "Kuruma no tabi gomi wa mochikaerimashou (Car trip, take your trash home)" were also used to promote environmental considerations that are relevant today. The SKYLINE became synonymous with stylish and cool cars.
Mr Mukai wrote most of the copy himself. I think his writing skills are truly wonderful. In Kibun's advertisements, I was particularly impressed by "Souzai no ‘so’ wa mono wo kokoro ga sasaeteimasu", which is my favourite catch. It is also an amazing wealth of knowledge. The word "B taran" was found in the manuscript, and when I wondered what it meant, I realised it was a word from "Sasameyuki", meaning ‘not enough vitamins’. It was also impressive that a photograph of the first edition of "Sasameyuki" was used in an advertisement by Snow Brand Milk Industry.
In "Ato direkushon tsudei" (KODANSHA, 1984), you can see selected advertisements from 1972 to 1981 and the 30-year history of graphic design since ADC was founded in1952. Mr Mukai was the president of the ADC for a period of time.

ー　Mr Mukai is also known for being the first to use photographs in advertising design in Japan, along with LIGHT PUBLICITY President Mr Nobuta and Mr Hosoya. After becoming independent, when he used photographs in newspaper adverts, was he present at the photoshoot himself?

Saito　He was present for some shoots depending on the manuscript, but sometimes left it to the personality of the photographer he trusted. One such photographer was Mr Tadao Yoshida, who took sharp, clean shots of still life and had taken photos for "KATEIGAHO" and other magazines. The photographer took the pictures and the teacher made selections from the resulting negatives and other materials.
He was very strict when it came to photography. They were very particular about the colours, such as the white of the hanpen and milk. White objects can sometimes show a little bit of blue. In those cases, he would ask the photographer to reshoot them, and he would give me about three patterns of prints, from soft to hard, from which he would choose.
He was also very strict about printing. The way the red was put in during proofreading would change the colour, and if there was any trouble again, he would consult directly with the technicians at the plate mill and the printing house to make adjustments. I don't think newspaper viewers would care that much about the differences, but that's his professionalism. He was very thorough in his attention to detail.
Immediately after I joined the agency, he once asked photographer Mr Masami Hagiwara to take photos of people at rush hour at the train station and the Great Buddha at Todaiji Temple. Those were the photos he used for newspaper advertisements, and I was given prints that he did not use at the time.

KIBUN FOODS (1978)
AD: Hideo Mukai, D: Hideo Mukai, Yukichi Mori, P: Masaaki Kobayashi, C: Hideo Mukai

KIBUN FOODS (1981)
AD: Hideo Mukai, D: Hideo Mukai, Yukichi Mori, P: Tadao Yoshida, C: Hideo Mukai

About personalities and preferences

ー　I know there were many intimidating people in the design world at the time. But, from your point of view, what was Mr Mukai's personality like?

Saito　I was always nervous. I never chit-chatted with him, I never spoke to him in a relaxed way. But he spoke well with the people he worked with and never got angry. I have been angry with him a couple of times though, out of the blue. I don't think it was against me, but something about his dissatisfaction with his own work. He treated the people who came to his office with respect, he valued common sense, he was quick to make decisions, knowledgeable and very quick to write copy.

ー　I hear he was also a foodie.

Saito　The day I joined the institute was 1 March, which was Mr Mukai's birthday, so I was treated to a full course meal at Restaurant "Sid" in the TBS Kaikan with Ms Fujita. Mr Mukai went to such high-class restaurants, but he also went to common restaurants. He would come to work in the morning the day after his hotel stay, so he often took Ms Fujita and me to lunch, where we were treated to a very tasty oyakodon (chicken and egg bowl) for 600 yen, and I often treated him to spaghetti at the "Howaie", as there are many good restaurants in the Akasaka area. Everyone who visited our office also knew Mr Mukai as a foodie, so they brought him delicious snacks as souvenirs.
Mr Mukai said that he could not drink alcohol when he was younger. He said he only became able to drink after he joined Sapporo Breweries. He drank a lot of alcohol and coffee. The cigarettes he smoked were "PALL MALL" and when they ran out, he went to buy one carton. He was quick to adopt new products when they came on the market. When I was in the office, he also used a cordless phone. Nowadays, it's a mobile phone.

ー　How long have you been in Mukai's office?

Saito　I was there for six years. The main reason was that I wanted to write copy and create advertising too. After leaving the agency, I worked as a copywriter in a small production company and then became a director. When I was at Tokyu Agency, there was a party to celebrate Mr Mukai's the Medal with Purple Ribbon and he invited me and was very pleased with my work after I left the agency.
Later, when I heard the news of his death, I attended his funeral. Many creators attended and when I saw my senior colleague Ms Fujita near the exit, I cried out loud. It had been some time since I left the office, but I had been under his care for six years. It's still sad to remember now.
When I was working at the office, I remember that, when Mr Mukai had a bit of free time, he used to write his replies on postcards. He wrote very soft characters. He had beautiful penmanship that flowed smoothly and without much effort. I also had the opportunity to see a picture he had drawn. He was lying alone on a mountainside, and I sensed that he was very relaxed and happy. When I saw that drawing, I wondered if he basically liked to be alone.
He often goes to opening parties for solo exhibitions, and I think he likes lively places. He worked at his own pace and in his own unique style, rather than having a number of staff, as he went out on his own when he went out, stayed in the office at night by himself, or stayed in a hotel to work.
I thought there might not be many people who knew all his faces. I also feel that no one knows who he really was. In fact, Mr Mukai was planning to publish a second collection of his work.

ー　Is that so? If the book was to be a collection of his work after he became independent, it would have contained about 20 years’ worth of his work. I would have liked to read his thoughts on his work after he became independent. Thank you very much for your time today.

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