When he started his activities in the profession, in the mid-twenties, Imatake concentrated on literature, films and music. But he also became involved with advertising for Kobe Daimaru Department store, for which he worked from 1927 till 2000. (At his age of 94! This looks like information for the Guinness Book of Records.) He foresaw the worldwide rise of media art. Imatake was strongly influenced by Bauhaus and tried, with the help of their theories, to bring ‘zu-an’ (pattern) design into the 20th century. He was a leader and promoter of the modernist movement in Japan. Apart from being a designer, Imatake was also a painter. He designed the logotype for a Japanese ‘wonder cream’, Mentholatum. After the war he worked for Sumitomo Bank, designing posters that carried a peace message. He also designed a cover for an early edition of Idea magazine.