Press Release
Naoya Katagami Receives the Silver A' Design Award for Hiroshima Peace Song Exhibition in Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design
The international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Naoya Katagami for graphics, illustration and visual communication design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 23, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Silver A' Design Award in the Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design category for Hiroshima Peace Song Exhibition by Naoya Katagami, designed for Jagda Hiroshima. The recognition forms part of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the Silver A' Design Award Means
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
About Hiroshima Peace Song Exhibition
The designer created the design by envisioning how a single droplet of water expands into a cascading waterfall, using the lyrics of the Hiroshima Peace Song. Inspired by principles akin to Japanese Zen, the design is placed on a plain background so that its simplicity yields deeper significance the more one observes it. The English lyrics of the Hiroshima Peace Song, which is sung every year at the end of the Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6, are used to symbolize how peace can spread outward.
About Naoya Katagami
Naoya Katagami is a visual designer and photographer based in Hiroshima, Japan. Working across poster design and monochrome film photography, his practice explores how visual language can articulate emotional depth and distill complex realities. Katagami focuses on expressing essential truths through form, contrast, and silence—pursuing clarity without simplification. His work has been recognized by international design institutions and featured in exhibitions that explore social narratives and visual culture.
Award Record
Naoya Katagami is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.
About the A' Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design Award
The A' Graphic Design Award is an international graphic design competition recognizing good graphic designs by best creative agencies and designers worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to graphic designers, communication designers, graphic artists and illustrators from all countries. Entries typically include logos, posters, infographics, brochures, packaging designs and business cards. Awarded graphic designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/graphics
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/164704
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/164704
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!164704
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/347763
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://awagami.jp/blogs/casestudy/0155?srsltid=AfmBOopTfrj1
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Hiroshima Peace Song Exhibition
- Function
- Exhibition
- Category
- Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design
- Discipline
- Communication Design
- Industry
- Branding & Advertising and Arts
- Colors
- Lavender, Dark Slate Gray, Silver, Black and Dark Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Jagda Hiroshima
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Naoya Katagami
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #164704
Credits
- Image Credits
- Main Image: PHOTO / Naoya Katagami, SOUND / Words by Yoshio Shigezono Music by Minoru Yamamoto The city of Hiroshima; PHOTO / Naoya Katagami, SOUND / Words by Yoshio Shigezono Music by Minoru Yamamoto The city of Hiroshima
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- I created this design by envisioning how a single droplet of water expands into a cascading waterfall, using the lyrics of the “Hiroshima Peace Song.” Inspired by principles akin to Japanese Zen, I placed the design on a plain white background so that its simplicity yields deeper significance the more one observes it. To portray the flow of the waterfall, I studied Leonardo da Vinci’s manuscripts on water dynamics. I used the English lyrics of the “Hiroshima Peace Song”—chorused every year at the end of the Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6—to symbolize how peace can spread outward.
- Inspiration
- When designing the “Hiroshima Peace Poster Exhibition 2024,” an annual event organized by JAGDA Hiroshima, my primary goal was to create something truly meaningful. In 2025, Hiroshima will mark 80 years since the atomic bombing, and even in 2024, key events like the release of the film “Oppenheimer” and the G7 Summit highlight the importance of revisiting the concept of peace. I chose to blend the lyrics of Hiroshima’s “Hiroshima Peace Song” with water—a symbol both of what bomb survivors longed for and of Hiroshima’s modern cityscape—to convey an essential message through typography, while also reflecting the city’s peaceful atmosphere today.
- Research
- We were able to welcome a large number of visitors. The Former Bank of Japan Hiroshima Branch is located in the heart of Hiroshima’s bustling downtown, where many commuters pass by each day. The prominent Exhibition Banner Tapestry at the entrance successfully attracted people’s interest and drew them in. Additionally, A4 flyers were placed in the Atomic Bomb Museum and various municipal offices, which also helped bring in many attendees. Overall, we believe this event provided a valuable opportunity for many to reflect on peace once again.
- Challenge
- We focused on conveying both Hiroshima’s global reputation—rooted in its cultural and historical significance—and the city’s present calm, peaceful atmosphere, encouraging visitors to experience both. All of the exhibited works advocate peace, making this a truly remarkable poster exhibition. Our primary goal was to spark interest while ensuring the design carried a deeply meaningful message.
- Realization and Technology
- This poster exhibition was held at the Former Bank of Japan Hiroshima Branch, a historic building located in the heart of Hiroshima and just 380 meters from the bombing’s hypocenter. Because many local citizens attend, we aimed for an immediately striking design. We utilized Akzidenz-Grotesk, a historically significant typeface, for the primary typography, while the exhibition’s title features Gotham—famously used for the film “Oppenheimer”—to add deeper resonance. We chose a black-on-white monochrome palette to ensure that the showcased works would stand out, including “Hiroshima Appeals” posters, professional designers’ pieces, and a total of 68 selected student posters.
- Operation and Interaction
- This design invites visitors to follow a visual flow, starting with the large tapestry and moving through various signage. Each element guides attendees through the exhibition, helping them connect more deeply with its theme of peace. By uniting water imagery, typography, and strategic pacing, the experience is both intuitive and immersive, encouraging thoughtful reflection and dialogue.
- Project Duration and Location
- Exhibition Period August 25 (Sun) – August 30 (Fri), 2024 10:00 – 19:00 Venue Former Bank of Japan Hiroshima Branch (Atomic Bombed Building)
- Specifications
- Exhibition Banner Tapestry Prominently displayed at the main entrance Dimensions: W2,000 mm × H5,500 mm Signage 1 Dimensions: W900 mm × H1,800 mm Signage 2 / 3 / 4 Each: W450 mm × H1,500 mm Information Boards Four boards, each A4 size Flyer A4, double-sided, full color plus one spot color Printed on Araveil paper Name Cards Three designs in total: “Hiroshima Appeals,” “Hiroshima Peace Poster Exhibition,” and “Hiroshima Peace Poster Student Competition” Venue Layout Comprehensive floor plan for the exhibition space
- Keywords
- Peace,Poster,Exhibition,Design, Water Imagery, Typographic Design, Da Vinci Inspiration, Hiroshima History, Peace Advocacy, Poster Exhibition, Community Engagement, Gotham Font
