Born in 1953, Toshio Yamagata first joined Shiseido’s advertising creation department in 1976. After serving as art director and creative director, Yamagata is now the general manager of the Advertising Creation Department.
He directs overall design of cosmetics products (i.e., package and space designs), focusing on the art direction of advertising. In the area of advertising, Yamagata has been in charge of launching new cosmetics brands and revamping the company’s iconic brands. He has also developed the company’s corporate messages and promoted their dissemination. By adopting multiple design roles, including the creative production for the exhibitions for corporate culture in Tokyo, Paris, New York, and Shanghai, and corporate archives in Ginza, Tokyo, Yamagata has contributed to the improvement of Shiseido’s brand image.
Beyond his influence on cosmetics, Yamagata dabbled in book designs for photo collections by Yoshihiko Ueda, Keiichi Tahara, Michiko Kon, and Bishin Jumonji. He has also contributed graphic designs for live performances by the Sankai Juku dance company.
His major awards include Tokyo Art Directors Club Awards, a Tokyo Art Directors Club Member Award, and a New York Art Directors Club Gold Prize. Yamagata has held a number of exhibitions at Ginza Graphic Gallery (“Graphic Wave” and “Toshio Yamagata”). He is also a member of the Tokyo Art Directors Club, Tokyo Type Directors Club and JAGDA.
Shiseido was founded by Arinobu Fukuhara in Ginza, Tokyo in 1872 as Japan's first Western-style pharmacy. In 1897, Shiseido introduced into the market “Eudermine” skin lotion and shifted its main business to cosmetics. Shinzo Fukuhara, the son of the founder, took over the management as the company’s first president in 1915 and set up the “Design Department (current Advertising Creation Department),” being among the first in Japan at the time to argue the importance of design. Since 1950, Shiseido has expanded in design with talented internal and external creators, successfully increasing the power of its brand.
Moreover, Shiseido is active in China for the beauty of Chinese women, which started with the technical partnership with Beijing in 1980, and has led to closer relations with various cities. The company relies on its expertise in cosmetics sales and a unique business model that has been perfected throughout Shiseido’s long history.
