Graphic Design: How graphic design saved a charming shopping district from extinction
Threatened by the obliterative force of modern shopping centres and e-commerce, a small district in Japan made up of “mom and pop” shops decided that a good-old poster competition would be the best way to breathe new life and excitement into their area. With the help of the Dentsu Kansai ad agency, each of the Fuminosato Shotengai shops are now represented by witty and exuberant posters, which have brightened up the streets and got customers flocking.
Some of the designs are absolutely fantastic, and really capture a sense of a close-knit community with its own vibrant and unique character. An ad for an electricity shop shows a baffled elderly woman staring at a screen and reads “Please show me how to delete my browser history!” Another ad, for a traditional Japanese men’s underwear shop, pokes fun at the ludicrous reality of the underwear that it sells. Have a read of the translated captions beneath each picture, they’re hilarious and are bound to make you smile. The posters really do prove that great graphic design can be a real force for good.
Fuminosato Shotengai: “Poster? Hurry it up I’ll be dead soon” and “I finally realised – this job is tough,” reads the posters for a pickle shop.
Fuminosato Shotengai: “We don’t have medicine for idiocy,” reads an ad for a drug store.
Fuminosato Shotengai: A series of ads for a traditional Japanese men’s underwear shop that pokes fun at itself.
Fuminosato Shotengai: “Good night and safe travels,” reads a series of ads for a sleepwear shop.
Fuminosato Shotengai: “Some love songs don’t have lyrics” and “What kind of couple would we be if we just turned off the TV?” reads a series of abstract ads for a jazz club.
Fuminosato Shotengai: For a whole month we locked it up in solitary confinement,” reads a series of ads for a pickle shop.
Fuminosato Shotengai: “Please show me how to delete my browser history,” reads an ad for an electronics shop.
