Matsushita Denki Newspaper Advertisement

This is a newspaper advertisement for Panasonic, formerly Matsushita Electronics Company. In 1960, it won an award from the Mainichi Koukoku Award, which is a newuspaper advertisement award.  The main visual of the ad features a single apple placed inside of the outline of a circle, accomanied with text that says “The fruit has ripened”.  

Post WWII, Japan had been restricting foreign imports to protect domestic industries from international competition. As the economy recovered and Japanese exports increased, international pressure lead the Japanese government to implement the Trade Liberalization Plan, removing the restriction. This advertisement communicated the CEO's readiness in preparing for foreign trade, and that the fruit was “ready for harvest”.

The advertisement features Japanese designers' interaction with international modern styles such as the swiss style through the use of a grid system and minimalist visuals. Additionally, this newspaper print uses color printing as well as a variety of fonts, indicating the increasing use of offset printing and phototypesetting in this period.