“Why Asian advertising is strong and mystic” was the theme of AdFest 2011, an exhibition of the best ad work in Asia. Commissioned by the Yoshida Hideo Memorial Foundation/ Advertising Museum Tokyo to promote this pan-Asian event, Dentsu Inc. in Osaka developed a poster series with lavish illustrations that reminds one of a reflexology foot chart or, in the case of the open palm, like a spiritual mudra (a hand gesture that symbolizes divine manifestation).

In their creative brief, the Dentsu team explained that it came up with the concept of a life-sized Asian and “aimed to describe how history, culture, technology and trends of Asia turn into the flesh and blood of an Asian, which is why ideas from Asia are strong.” A close look at the many elements that comprise each poster illustration covers the gamut from Chinese dragon and panda bears to pagodas and daruma dolls to symbols of technology and medicine. All of these concepts are integrated into the body of man.