(b Nagano, 22 June 1903; d 26 March 1986). Japanese graphic designer. He graduated from the Tokyo Prefectural School of Technology in 1921 and taught there from 1922 to 1941. During this period he was exposed to the work of overseas avant-garde artists LÁSZLÓ MOHOLY-NAGY, HERBERT BAYER and EL LISSITZKY. He also established links with TOMOYOSHI MURAYAMA and other members of the Sankakai group of painters. These contacts had a great influence on his later designs and led to his emergence as the founder of Japanese modern design. In 1933 he participated in the founding of the Japan Studio (Nihon Kobo). He designed the photography exhibitions in JUNZO SAKAKURA’s Japan Pavilions for the Paris World Expositions of 1937 and the New York Exposition of 1939. These exhibits exemplified Hara’s philosophy that the real work of the designer is the organization of graphic elements. His designs for the propaganda magazine Front (published by the Tohosha company) during the Pacific War (1941–5) set the standards for Japanese design. In 1951 Hara was a founder-member of the Japan Advertising Artists Club, which went on to play a leading role in post-war Japanese graphic design. In 1960 he took part in the setting up of the Nippon Design Centre, Inc., whose aim was to develop the business potential of graphic design.